Blue eyes, brown eyes
by Misura
Summary: Joey meets Kaiba at an unexpected time and place, with unexpected consequences.
1. First

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Kaiba/Joey, not many other characters except for Mukabo, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 12th may 2003, by Misura

I am definitely not the most knowledgable person on Yu-Gi-Oh so feel free to point out mistakes to me (do keep in mind that this is an AU though).

**********

"Hey, you're not from around here, are you?"

Joey turned around to see who was adressing him, coming face to face with a shy-looking black-haired boy, who smiled at him hesitantly.

"No, I'm here on a holiday. Sort of." He shrugged. "When I saw there was a meeting of players I thought I'd drop by and take a look."

"You play the game too. Cool!" 

Joey grinned. _It's kind of nice to find people sharing your interest all over the world. Like you can find friends in the most unexpected places._

"What's your favorite monster?" he asked. Most people had one, sometimes one fitting their character, like Tea, sometimes not. _But it always seems to say something about them._

"This one!" The boy proudly held up a card, showing a picture of a white-blue dragon.

_The Blue Eyes White Dragon ... a potential Seto Kaiba? He doesn't look like it._

_Damn, I really could have done without remembering about that arrogant bastard._

"Oh. That's uhm nice." he replied weakly. The other boy looked disappointed.

"It's a very rare monster, but I managed to get one." He waved the card again, his face beaming.

"Congratulated." Joey mumbled.

"Here, just look at it. Isn't it the most beautiful creature you ever saw?" The card was stuck out in his direction, his hand reaching for it automatically. As the boy released the card however, it fell to the floor. "Oh!"

"Sorry. I'll - " _What's wrong with me? It's just a card! And a very powerful one too. _

_Why would it bother me so much, merely because someone who's not exactly my friend uses it too? Normally I'm not that easily upset._

Before Joey could finish his apology, a soft voice interrupted him.

"Is this your card?" 

_I know that voice. I wish I didn't, wish I was wrong but ..._ Looking up his eyes confirmed what his ears had already told him.

_What have I done to deserve having my vacation ruined like this?_

_Why did this have to be the place and time to encounter Kaiba again?_

"Yes, it is. Thanks!" The boy snatched the card out of Kaiba's outstretched hand as if afraid it might drop again unless he held it and darted off, to his friends, Joey presumed. He returned his interest to the man standing in front of him, who wore an expression of disdain on his face that made Joey's blood boil.

_Just who does he think he is? The world-champion?_

_Well, technically he is, of course, but ... _

_He's just so cocky about it ..._

"What are *you* doing here?" He made it sound like the accusation it was.

A flicker of an emotion (amusement? anger?) lit up Kaiba's eyes, before they turned cold again.

"I could ask the same to you. And with more right. I *live* here, just outside the city."

Joey had to admit that was a pretty good reason.

_So this is where his home's now, huh? If only I'd known ..._

_I'd never ever go voluntarily on a vacation to some place within a mile of Kaiba's home._

_I mean, I'm not afraid of him or anything ; it's just that I don't want any trouble. I went on this trip to relax, not to duel._

"I'm on a holiday." he replied, in answer to the other man's unspoken question. "And I'm really not in the mood to have you spoil it for me."

"Who says I intend such a thing?" Kaiba raised one eyebrow in a gesture of surprise.

_Yeah, right, like I'm going to buy *that*._

"Don't mess with me, Kaiba! I know you, remember? I don't want to see your face around here again." _All right, so that was maybe a wee bit unreasonable to demand._

Kaiba's eyes hardened. "I don't see why I should care anything about what *you* want. Since I'm a reasonable person though - " he ignored Joey's snort " - I propose a duel. If you win, I will stay in my house for the remainder of your stay here."

_Am I supposed to ask now what *I* have to do if *he* wins?_

"Sounds good." He nodded.

_Think you can beat me easily? Well, I think you're in for a surprise then._

_I have learned a few extra tricks since the last time we met._

"If, on the other hand, I win, " Kaiba continued, "I get to ask you a favor."

_Now hold on a minute ... a favor? Like ... anything?_

_Oh no, Kaiba, I really don't think so._

"What kind of favor?" he demanded.

Kaiba smiled - _so he *can* do that_ - coldly. "Anything I want. What ... afraid to lose?"

"Of course not! Fine, we're agreed then."

_Oh oh .... me and my big mouth._

_Well, nothing else to it ; I just have to win this._

_I intended to do so anyway so what's the big deal?_

~tbc?~

A/N : No, the favor isn't a date or something like that. Though it will involve Joey getting to know Kaiba a bit better, at this point neither of them really knows about their own feelings for the other one. (Or rather, neither of them is aware yet I made them a couple for this fic.^^;)


	2. Second

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Kaiba/Joey, not many other characters except for Mukabo, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 17th may 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thank you all for being so kind to me and not yelling at me for the stupid mistakes I made ; I hope this chapter will be better.

To Firekat : Glad you like it ; I just think that Seto is a very cool character and well ... Joey seems to be the one he's most often paired with (also because of a certain dream ...). And Joey's cool too, so I think they fit eachother. :)

To Kaneda-Shotaro and Yami Tetsuo : Thanks for pointing out those two errors to me and saying you still liked the story ; I hope there won't be any more faults in this chapter but please let me know if there are.

To Promise : I will, I will. The second chapter's below ; hope you like it.

To Joey-lover : You guessed correctly, sorry if you feel this as a slight to Joey but well ... Kaiba *is* the world-champion after all. And thanks for the compliment!

To Viper : Thank you, both for the encouragement and the correction! :)

To Lady Geuna : Well, hope this is soon enough for you ;). The favor is nothing spectacular I'm afraid so I hope you won't be disappointed. 

To phwee? yami hobo : Hn, I don't think the ending to this story is meant to be part of the mysteries of life. So you will get to know it ... in time. Hope it will be worth the wait!

I still am no expert at YuGiOh (though I did see a few more episodes since I wrote the first chapter) so I would be grateful for any corrections.

**********

__

I should have remembered.

Joey was angry at himself for ever having allowed Kaiba to lure him into this duel.

__

I *let* him do it ; he didn't even have to cheat to make me agree to his crazy conditions.

My temper got the better of me ... again.

Will I never learn?

What will he want from me?

What can I possibly have that he wants and can't buy, aside from friendship?

And I'm pretty sure he's not interested in *that* either.

So what does he want?

"You lost." Kaiba stated coolly.

__

He doesn't even look smug or happy at his victory.

Probably because he never doubted he would win this.

"I hadn't noticed." Joey replied sarcastically.

Kaiba seemed unamused.

__

Not that I thought he'd laugh at it. That guy has *no* sense of humor.

"We made a bet." 

"Why don't you stop stating the obvious and tell me something I *don't* know yet?" Joey proposed, allowing some of his annoyance with himself to resound in his voice.

Kaiba shrugged. "I saw no reason to rush things. But if you want it that way ... "

Joey nodded.

__

Let's get this over with.

I know I was stupid and I made a mistake ; I don't need *you* to remind me and rub it in.

"Very well then. What I want as my prize is quite simple." Kaiba continued. "I want you to come living in my house for as long as I want you to."

Joey blinked. "W-what? You can't be serious!"

__

What on earth does he hope to gain from *that*?

I thought he was eager to see the last of me.

Seems I was wrong.

"I assure you I am not joking." Kaiba replied calmly.

__

No, I guess the concept of a 'joke' is completely alien to him.

Which means I'm in deep trouble.

How long does he intend to keep me?

Damn! How could I have been so stupid?!

"Well, I can't just drop everything I'm doing, you know. There are people who'll get worried if I just disappear without a trace." Joey bit out.

Kaiba raised one eyebrow. "I wouldn't expect you to. You can use the next two days to inform people of your future absence. You can tell them what you want, even the truth, as long as you don't give them this adress." He plucked a card out of his pocket and handed it to Joey.

"You will go here at the end of the second day from now. Then we'll talk some more."

Joey accepted the card. "I'm already looking forward to it." 

__

Yeah, right.

"No doubt." Kaiba answered, seemingly having lost interest in the conversation. 

"Well, I have some people to call now. I'll see you in two days then." Not waiting for a possible reply, Joey turned and went looking for the nearest telephone-booth.

Kaiba stared after him, a curious expression on his face.

*****

His sister was upset, of course. He had called her first, chosing in the end to use the phone in his hotel-room rather than a public one. It allowed him more privacy.

It took quite some talking to reassure her he would be all right. Not to mention to keep her from coming to his rescue immediately.

__

It might be amusing to see her kick Kaiba's ass, but I brought this on myself.

I will not back off ; I gave him a promise and he beat me fair and square.

The thought of coming up with some excuse, some lie to explain his absence hadn't even occurred to him until Kaiba mentioned it. 

Lying simply didn't suit him ; it wasn't the way he treated people he cared about.

Not everyone was at home the first time he tried to reach them, but as the second day neared its end he had managed to get a message to everyone.

He got lots of offers for help, yet even more wishes of good luck from those who understood why he wouldn't want such offers. It cheered him up to know so many people cared enough about him to know him that well.

__

If the situations were reversed, how many persons would Kaiba have to call?

And how many of those would he be able to call friends?

With surprise he discovered he was pitying the other man a bit.

__

Now wait a minute, why would I do that?

He's nothing but an arrogant, cold-hearted bastard ; it's his own fault nobody likes him.

His own fault, like this whole mess is mine.

Ah well, he'll get tired of having me around soon enough.

I hope.

~tbc?~

A/N : next chapter will probably start with Kaiba's thoughts at the end of the duel. Hopefully I'll manage to put Joey's arrival in it too.


	3. Third

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Kaiba/Joey, not many other characters except for Mukabo, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 19th may 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the second chapter :

To Joey-lover : Uhm … I know the feeling, but I don't think Joey will be the one getting hurt in here.  Glad you still like it!

To keira maxwell : I must admit I don't really know the 'standard' Seto/Joey-plot, so I hope I will stay original. Thanks for the compliment!

To curseofshadows : Why does everyone think **Joey** will be the one getting tortured??? I get the feeling I don't know the characters very well ; in my humble vision things will turn out rather different. So please forgive me if this fic doesn't live up to your expectations and I write them ooc.

To  phwee? yami hobo : I love weird reviews! They prickle my imagination, so they help my inspiration! Please don't cry!

To Ranma Higurashi : Hope this is soon enough for you? I did try sooner but ff.net wouldn't let me. L

To Firekat : Well, if I didn't let him loose, Seto would've lost. And that would have been much worse (not to mention not very realistic.) Thanks for the compliment!

To HieiKuramaFan : Thank you very much for your kind words!

I still am no expert at YuGiOh (though I did see another few episodes since I wrote the previous chapters) so I would be grateful for any corrections. Oh, and I changed the outline for this chapter, keeping the focus on Joey rather than Kaiba. Hope you don't mind!

**********

_Man, he's really rich! _

Joey stared at the house that corresponded to the adress on the card Kaiba had given him. 

It was big, to say the least. Oh, he had seen bigger houses and buildings, but he had never actually visited one where someone was actually living.

_I bet he has his own swimming-pool somewhere in there too._

After standing staring at it for some more time, Joey slowly started to walk to the gate. 

_I wonder how many people live in there ; surely he has some servants to take care of the household and take care of things like dinner._

The thought of Kaiba doing something as ordinary as washing clothes or cooking dinner was very weird somehow ; Joey simply couldn't imagine him doing simple domestic chores like that.

_And why would he? He has the money to have other people do it for him._

He pressed the doorbell, wondering if leading a major corporation really justified all the security he had noticed so far or if Kaiba was merely paranoid.

_It's impossible for someone to just walk up to the actual door._

_Not very inviting ... then again, that's just like Kaiba, isn't it?_

_What was I expecting, a nice garden with a 'Welcome!'-sign planted in it?_

"Yes?" A voice asked. He didn't recognize it.

_Probably some guy who has nothing to do all day but to keep an eye on the gate and welcome visitors ... not that I think Kaiba has many._

He sifted through his memory, searching for anyone who had ever claimed to have visited Kaiba at home. He couldn't think of anyone.

"Uhm ... my name is Joey Wheeler. I'm ... "

_A friend of Kaiba's? An acquaintance?_

" ... here for Kaiba." he finished lamely.

_I'm here because your employer thought it would be fun to have me live in his house._

A brief silence. Then : "Okay, you can come in. I'll open the door."

_A pity ; if he'd have refused to let me in I'd have a great excuse not to have to do this._

_Ah well, I'll show him what I'm made of._

Walking through the gate, he walked up to the actual door. As he tried it, he discovered it was open. Taking a last look outside, he stepped through.

As it fell shut behind him with a soft click, he felt very lonely all of a sudden.

_This place looks so ... cold. Empty. Like no one lives here._

His own house was very different, not just in size.

_We have pictures hanging on the wall, stuff lying around._

_The smell of cooking or of fresh flowers ...._

_The sound of voices ...._

_This lack of any sign of life is creepy._

Exploring some of the hall, his eyes quickly discovered the folded note lying on a table.

_It has my name on it. Must be Kaiba's._

For a very brief moment he felt a crazy hope that the letter might tell him this had all been a joke ; that this business of coming to live in Kaiba's house had never been seriously meant.

_I could forgive him for laughing at me if he'd wrote that._

His hands trembled slightly as he unfolded the paper.

_'Joey,_

_you can put your stuff in the second room on the right upstairs._

_There's dinner at seven in the dining-room, which is behind the third door on your left._

_I hope you'll enjoy your stay here.'_

He sighed.

_Ah well, it was too much to wish for anyway._

As his eyes fell to the signature he frowned.

_'Mokuba'_

_Mokuba? Who's *that*?_

Deciding he could maybe ask Kaiba about it later, he grabbed his bags and ascended the stairs.

~tbc?~


	4. Fourth

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Kaiba/Joey, not many other characters except for Mokuba, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 25th may 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the third chapter :

To Joey-lover : Thank you, I will! :)

To FireKat : Hm, well, Pegasus said once they had to learn Kaiba to do that, so maybe the image isn't *that* unlikely. Of course, it's also possible Kaiba's rich enough to have a dish-washing machine. In fact, that's very likely ; he's a billionaire after all. ;)

To Assassin of the Shadows : Nope, he doesn't know Mokuba yet. So he's in for a nice surprise. After all, you wouldn't really expect Kaiba to have a little brother like that. 

To Shitsumon : Well, that's what it says in the Warnings/notes. Joey not knowing Mokuba is part of it, as is Serenity not being in a hospital or Mokuba not having been kidnapped by Pegasus.

To phwee? yami hobo : Thank you ; I definitely agree with you on Mokuba so there's going to be more of him. 

To Ieyre : Glad it managed to keep your attention ; Joey doesn't know about Mokuba yet because the quest with Yugi hasn't taken place (yet?).

To Icing Flower : Thank you very much! As to your question, well, for me it serves the purpose of having them both in the same place. Why *Kaiba* wanted it will hopefully be explained in this chapter. 

To Kaneda-Shotaro and Yami Tetsuo : Thank you! I'm so glad to hear that! :)

To Keira Maxwell : Thank you! Actually this isn't *that* much AU in my humble opinion ; it's merely written by a novice to YuGiOh. ;) 

To Ranma Higurashi : Well, you could say either ; Seto is the worldchampion as well as CEO of Kaiba Corp, Joey's parents are still together, Serenity's still healthy ... only I think Joey went duelling because of her operation, so then it wouldn't make sense to place this before Duelist Kingdom since Joey and Kaiba have dueled before. Uhm, maybe a pre-Duelist Kingdom AU? ^^; 

To yuki44 : I hope this is soon enough for you :- ) ! Thanks for reviewing!

To sodapop : Well, there'll be a bit more Kaiba in this chapter, even if the focus remains on Joey (and a bit on Mokuba). Thanks for the compliment!

To Black Magician Girl : Thanks for reviewing ; here's the new chapter ; hope you enjoy it!

**********

Kaiba looked up surprised as someone knocked softly on the door to his office. People who dared to interrupt him during work were rare.

_Actually, there's only one ..._

"Come in, Mokuba! Door's open!" he called with a smile. 

Mokuba peeked inside. "Are you very busy, older brother?"

_There's always work to be done that should have been finished yesterday._

"Never too busy to see you." he replied truthfully.

His younger brother beamed and bounced inside, dropping down in a chair opposite Kaiba's.

"Your boyfriend's arrived." Mokuba said cheerfully.

Kaiba nearly choked. "My what?!?"

Mokuba blinked up innocently. "Your boyfriend. Joey."

"That *mutt* is *not* my boyfriend!" Kaiba hissed, for a moment too angry to care if he was in the company of his beloved younger brother.

"But I thought ... then why did you invite him here?" Mokuba asked confused.

"Well, didn't you complain about me not having any time for you anymore?"

Mokuba blushed. "I didn't mean it that way. I know you're busy. Only ... "

"Only you get lonely sometimes." Kaiba finished. "And since you're my brother it's far too dangerous to invite anyone over here without having done a complete security scan on his or her background. I happen to know Joey and I think he'd be a great friend for you."

"But you called him a mutt!" Mokuba protested. "You sounded as if you don't like him at all."

Kaiba shrugged. "He's not very bright, but he likes games and behaves like a kid most of the time. And I'm sure he's not some spy. I think maybe you two would get along very well."

"He likes games? Any games?" Mokuba cheered up. He didn't really like the idea of his brother having someone else take his place, but perhaps it wouldn't be too bad.

"Yes, any games. He even knows a bit about Duel Monsters." Kaiba nodded, pleased to see Mokuba not being completely opposed to his offer.

"Only a bit?" Mokuba was well aware of his brother's pride in his own skills ; 'a bit' could mean a lot of things. 

"He's never beat me, of course, and never will either, but he's not half bad." Kaiba replied.

_Not that I'll ever say that to his face ; the puppy's arrogant enough as he is._

Mokuba was impressed. 'Not half bad' translated to 'far better than average' in Kaiba's language, meaning Joey had to be quite good at the game.

"Thank you very much for inviting him over, older brother!" Mokuba bounced around the desk to give Kaiba a firm hug to tell him he appreciated his brother's care of him.

Kaiba gave him a strange smile. "You're welcome, Mokuba. I hope the two of you get along."

"Just don't think I'll not ask you to play games with me anymore now!"

Kaiba grinned, trying to look innocent. "Would I do that?"

Mokuba giggled. "Don't be late for dinner again!"

"Yes, mom."

He was rewarded with another sunny laugh, before the door fell closed behind Mokuba, leaving Kaiba to his work again, images of Joey and his brother spinning through his head.

_I feel almost ... jealous._

What truly disturbed him though was that he wasn't quite sure of whom he was jealous.

_Ridiculous!_

_I ordered him to come here for Mokuba's sake and for nothing else._

_If Mokuba doesn't like him, he's leaving straight away._

_Of course, Mokuba will like him though ; I know him. _

_He always loved puppies ..._

*****

Joey opened the door, halfly expecting the room Kaiba had given him to be not much more than a wall-closet. Instead, he found it to be ...

_... nice. Very nice. Nearly three times as big as my own room at home._

He shook off a short stab of home-sickness - _I've only been here for a few hours for crying out loud! - _and started to unpack his luggage, while considering the note.

_Do I really want to go to have dinner with Kaiba and some of his employers? If they get to eat on the same table as he does, that is._

_Let's face it ; I *hate* the guy. I probably couldn't even eat in his company._

_I think I'll just skip dinner for one evening. Can't hurt, can it?_

His stomach grumbled.

_Uhm, on second thought ... maybe I could snatch a little something from the kitchen?_

_If I ask politely ..._

Hesitating for a moment to leave his belongings behind like that, he opened the door. The corridor was, as expected, empty. 

_Ah well, so someone could sneak in and see what kind of clothes I wore on vacation._

_Big deal ; I'll just take my deck with me. it's the only really valuable thing I have._

Softly closing the door behind him, he started to walk in the direction of the stairs.

_Ready to go where no one else has gone before ; the unexplored wilderness of Kaiba's mansion._

*****

Mokuba stared at the contents of the refrigerator, trying to decide what he wanted for dinner tonight. His brother hardly tasted what he ate, or so it seemed most of the time, so he was more than happy to leave the choice to Mokuba.

_Which means I'm one of the few lucky kids who never have to eat Brussels sprouts because their parents force them to. _

He had tried them once, to experience what they were like, after hearing some of the kids from his class talk about them. That was the only time his brother had actually commented spontaneously to the food that was for dinner.

_Hehe, it was almost worth the taste to see his face as he jumped up like that and yelled he'd order a pizza instead. So ... surprised. Like for a moment we were both kids again and he wasn't the CEO of a major cooperation but just Seto, my big brother._

_That part of him is still there, I know, but it's fading, getting buried a little deeper each day._

_Sometimes I'm afraid I'll lose him. _

Mokuba sighed, trying to chase these somber thoughts away. He didn't want his brother to see him sad ; that would only make him miserable as well.

_Besides, we have a guest._

_Maybe I could ask *him* what he'd like for dinner._

He checked the clock.

_Time enough ; Seto's late most of the time anyway._

~tbc?~


	5. Fifth

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Kaiba/Joey, not many other characters except for Mokuba, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 30th may 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the fourth chapter :

To sodapop : Thanks for the compliment! Yes, Kaiba has a crush on Joey, Joey has a crush on Kaiba only none of them wants to admit it.

Kaiba : Of course I'm not in love with that mutt!

Joey : Of course I'm not in love with that ice-cube!

Mokuba : Aren't they cute together? ^_^

To Icing Flower : Thank you ; I'm glad you liked Mokuba's parts. Of course I didn't forget about this story ; how could I, when so many nice people tell me to write more of it? Sorry if it took me a bit long to write another chapter. Hope you'll enjoy this one too!

To Ranma Higurashi : Hope this is soon enough to your liking :) ! Thanks for the encouragement!

To FireKat : *starts running*

Kaiba : Hah! That's the end of this story! 

Mokuba : Don't worry ; there's no question-mark at the end of this chapter. Hehe.

To DaughterofDeath : Here it is ; hope you like it! Thank you!

To Jadej.j : Thank you ; hope you like this one as well!

To yuki44 : *blushes* Thanks! I do my best.

To Lil Bre : Thank you ; I feel flattered to hear you think so highly of this story. :)

To Assassin of the Shadows : I think you summarized the situation quite aptly and I must agree with you on Joey and Mokuba being cute. Though I think Seto has some cuteness of his own too (especially in combination with those two).  That's why I like writing about them so much.

To Beverly : Uhm … you think I'm too mean to them? But I have hardly done anything! (Aw, no I'm sorry if you think so. I promise to make them all happy in the end, all right?)

To Rayne-Jelly : Wow, you're so lucky! (Unless there's some other vegetable you hate and have to eat almost every week instead that is.) As to Mokuba, well, I do see him as a happy, bouncy character so he may appear a bit sugar-high in later chapters, just to cheer everyone up. Thank you very much for reviewing!

To phwee? yami hobo : Hn, you're the second one to complain about that. Don't worry I don't intend to quit this story. Only, well, accidents happen. I'd hate anyone to think I broke my promise if I'd catch the flu or something. Yes, Joey and Seto will get to spend some time together probably some day but for now Mokuba will stick around. Hope you don't mind him. Thanks for reviewing!

To Sadako Yamamura : (Sorry if I'm not enough versed in anime to recognize your name!) Thank you! (Not what you expected? I have the feeling this story's rather predictable actually, but I'm glad you don't seem to think so.)

**********

_They should have hung up maps somewhere ; this place is a labyrinth!_

_How can anyone find their way in here?_

Joey muttered as he passed a painting he was sure he had seen at least two times before now.

_Plus, I haven't encountered anyone else I could ask directions to._

_I'm really starting to feel hungry._

After having taken some other turns he reached a corridor he was reasonably sure he hadn't been earlier. It ended at a door from behind which he heard soft taps, as if someone was typing, accompanied by the soft buzzing sound of a pc.

_Hmmm._

_It sounds like someone's at work there._

He reached for the door-handle, discovering the door was unlocked.

_Finally something goes *my* way._

*****

"Joey? Are you in there?"

Mokuba knocked on the door to their guest's room, receiving no reply.

Pressing his ear against the door while praying Joey wouldn't decide to open it, he listened if he could hear anything on the inside.

It was perfectly silent.

_All right then ..._

He pushed open the door, to find the room behind it empty, except for some bags.

_He's gone! But he wasn't in the dining-room when I checked so ..._

Mokuba frowned. It had taken him two weeks to get the most important routes through the house in his head after his brother had brought him here.

_Joey's sure to get lost if he went off on his own._

_And the only ones living here are me and Seto ; it could take hours to find him again!_

He briefly considered calling his brother to tell him Joey might be wandering through the house, then decided against it.

_He already doesn't seem to think much of Joey ; mentioning this would only make that worse._

_And he's probably busy ; too busy to help searching._

_I'll just pretend we're playing hide and seek._

With a determined look on his face, Mokuba strode away, off on his search.

*****

Kaiba's fingers danced over the keyboard as the code for the latest program he wanted to write slowly took shape on his screen. Every now and then his eyes checked the clock.

He knew that if he stopped working now, the ideas he had had might slip away. On the other hand, he hated to disappoint Mokuba by not showing up for dinner.

_Of course Joey will be there but ..._

Thinking about Joey brought a scowl to his face.

_... I don't want that puppy to take my place._

_'Oh no? Then why did you bring him here, Kaiba-boy?'_ a taunting voice inside his head asked.

Kaiba shook his head, trying to focus on the code again.

_Shut up! Leave me alone! You're not real!_

_'Is that what you think, Seto-dear? That I'm just some product of your own mind? That you've been working too hard perhaps? Tsk, tsk, what a disappointing lack of imagination!'_

Behind him, he could hear the door softly being pushed open. 

For a moment his heart stopped beating, as his hands froze above the keys. Then he forced himself to relax.

_It's just Mokuba coming to ask if I'll come to have dinner._

_I shouldn't let him see me upset ; he'd only worry and feel guilty._

_He's the best little brother I could have wished for._

Thinking about Mokuba always made him smile. A real smile, not the cold expression he used to tell people they were going to be crushed. He slowly turned around to tell Mokuba he would only be a little bit later than usual.

*****

_Damn, he looks hot when he smiles like that! _Joey couldn't keep himself from thinking as he was unexpectedly faced with a smiling Kaiba. A smile that said 'I like you and you can always talk to me' instead of the 'What an idiot you are' smile that was usually the one he received.

He felt the blood starting to rush to his cheeks.

"What are *you* doing here, mutt? I'm trying to work here!" Kaiba sneered, shattering the illusion of a moment ago, his warm expression wiped away and replaced by coldness.

Joey could have replied it was Kaiba himself who had brought him here and that he thus had no right to complain about his presence now.

Instead, he did something he had sworn never to do in front of Kaiba.

He bolted and ran out of the door without another word.

_What am I thinking?!? What's wrong with me?_

_First I start to blush like some ... some girl because he smiles at me and then I feel like slapping him because I'm not the one he was expecting._

Lost in thought, he walked blindly through the hallways.

_Who was he thinking me to be anyway? His girlfriend? Does he have one?_

_That mysterious Mokuba perhaps?_

As he turned around a corner he bumped into someone else, bringing him back to the present. He stared into two dark, purple eyes.

"S-sorry. I didn't hear you coming! Are you all right?"

*****

Kaiba stared in bewilderment at the closed door. 

_I can't believe what just happened. He almost acted as if he was ... afraid._

_'Well, you weren't exactly very welcoming now, were you, Kaiba-baby? You weren't nice at all.'_

_I'm always like that and he never, ever backs out of a fight._

_'Ah, but he's in your house here. You made him come here. Why did you do that actually? Did you wanted a pet? Perhaps that wasn't such a smart way to try to get closer to him.'_

_I don't ... _

_'Oh, please. Go on and be a good boy now. Finish you work.'_

_No, I don't think so._

He pressed a few keys, watching with grim satisfaction as the screen slowly became dark.

_I'm going to have dinner with my brother._ __

~tbc probably~


	6. Sixth

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Kaiba/Joey, not many other characters except for Mokuba, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 4th june 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the fifth chapter :

To Assassin of the Shadows : Hn, well, I suppose it depends on the kind of voice and what it's telling you. I mean, one voice in my head tells me I should stop writing fanfiction because I'm bad at it. I'd like to think it's wrong ;). I hope you won't be disappointed if the voice turns out to be a bit less ... sympathetic in this chapter.

To sodapop : After some thinking, I have come up with the following theory : Kaiba doesn't *want* to know he likes Joey. He invited him over for Mokuba (official motive) so he's unkind to Joey because he thinks that's expected of him. Their sniping is more or less automatic ; neither of them wants to be the first to break the usual pattern. It's not entirely water-proof, I admit, but it's the best I can come up with. ^^;

To Icing Flower : Well, I hope you won't be disappointed by the lack of actual dinner in this chapter ; I more or less waltzed over that part of the evening.

Kaiba : Thanks for the encouragement! ^_^

To Lil Bre : *shrugs* Well, people complained about the '?' that was there before so I changed it. Just ignore it. Joey bumped into dark-eyed Mokuba (sorry for leaving you in doubt about that by not mentioning his name). As to the voice ...

Pegasus : Would I do a thing like that?

Kaiba : Yes!

Pegasus : Aw, I'm hurt. How can you even *think* such a horrible, horrible thing!

Notice that this is an AU, so ... you'll find out about the voice. Eventually.

To keira maxwell : Hehe, I know that feeling ; I'm just glad that was the reason for your not reviewing rather than that you had stopped enjoying the story. Thanks for doing it! :)

To Joey lover : Don't worry ; I did (and I will). ;)

To FireKat : Eeep! Bakura, protect me!

Bakura : Why would I?

Misura : If you do it, I will not post that mushy romantic story about you and Ryou I wrote.

Bakura : But I like romantic, mushy stories about me and Ryou! ^_^

Misura : -_-;. If I get killed, I can't write stuff like that anymore.

Bakura : *considers* Okay then. Here goes! *teleports Misura to Shadow Realm*

Oh, yes, Mokuba is cute, isn't he? Guess who he reminds me of? ;)

To Ramna Higurashi : So they do *grins*. As to what's for dinner, read and find out! :) Hope you'll enjoy this chapter ; the next update will take some time.

To mysticalcancer : I mean tbc unless I die unexpectedly (or get sent to the Shadow Realm for some offense against Yami Bakura ; neither of them is very likely. I hope.). Thanks for the encouragement ; I hope the lack of actual dinner-scenes won't disappoint you.

To Beverly : And they're pretty! Faeries I mean. ^^; Glad to hear you're not offended ; happy endings *are* a rule for fics by me, but before they get there, I feel justified to put the characters through some hardships. Happens in every fairytale too, doesn't it?

To Blondchick14 (Saa Ra) : Wow, thank you very much!

Kaiba : What do you mean 'I can actually see this happen'? This story's ridiculous!

Joey : Don't you love me? ;_;

Kaiba : I didn't say that.

Joey : Then, do you love me?

Kaiba : Yes, but - *is glomped by Joey*

Joey : Yay! ^_^

(Sorry for that, just couldn't handle the stress anymore for a moment. Thanks for your glowing review!)

**********

"Are you all right?" Mokuba asked worriedly. 

Joey nodded, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Yeah, I think so. You too?"

Mokuba smiled reassuringly, hiding his bruised arm that had been slammed into the wall a bit too hard behind his back. "I'm fine! Especially now that I've found you!"

Joey blinked. "You were searching me?"

"Yes! I wanted to ask what you'd like for dinner. Seto doesn't mind really, and I just can't choose. We have way too much to pick from." Mokuba giggled.

"S-Seto?"

"My big brother. Who invited you here." Mokuba said, a bit puzzled.

"Oh. You mean Kaiba."

Mokuba laughed again. "He still has you calling him *that*? He's so weird at times! But it's my name too, you know, so from now on you'll simply have to call him 'Seto'."

"I guess you're right." Joey replied hesitantly.

"So?" Mokuba eyed him expectantly.

Joey looked at him blankly. "So what?"

Mokuba sighed. "So, what do you want for dinner?"

"Uhm, what do you have?"

Mokuba grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "I guess I'll just have to show you."

*****

When they reached the kitchen, they were greeted by the smell of pizza. Pizza hawaii, to be more precise, as Joey's nose told him.

"Big brother!" Mokuba jumped and hugged the person standing at the other end of the kitchen, in front of an open closet.

"Mokuba! Don't do that while I'm holding plates! These things can break when dropped to the floor you know!" Kaiba snapped. Mokuba noticed a smile tugging at his lips though, even if Joey didn't.

"Sorry. Can I help dressing the table?" 

Kaiba shook his head. "No, it's all set. But thanks for offering."

Mokuba nodded. "What kind of pizza did you pick?"

"Hawaii." Kaiba replied, walking to the dining room and placing the three plates on the table.

"My favorite." Joey remarked.

Mokuba beamed. "What good luck! Don't you think so, big brother?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Kaiba didn't want to get into a verbal fight with Joey in front of his little brother, even if the blond's presence grated on his nerves.

_'Because you want to kick him or because you want to kiss him? Make up your mind, Kaiba-dear. You can't do both. Well, actually you could, but ....'_

"Seto? Are you okay?" Joey stepped forward, true concern in his voice. There was a strange look in Kaiba's eyes, as if he wasn't there anymore. Joey had expected a sharp reply to his remark, had possibly even looked forward to some verbal sparring to remind him what Kaiba was really like.

"Who gave you permission to call me that?" Kaiba hissed, backing away.

_'Kiss him or kick him, come on Seto-sweetie. You haven't got all day.'_

"I told him, big brother. You don't mind, do you?" Mokuba quipped, coming closer.

Kaiba felt the voice in his head fade away, as if chased by the nearness of his brother.

"I just thought it would be easier that way." Mokuba explained, his eyes wide.

"Yes, of course. No harm done." Kaiba managed a smile and ruffled his brother's hair.

The oven beeped, cutting off any other words he might have wanted to speak.

"I'll go get them!" Mokuba sprinted to the kitchen, relieved his brother wasn't angry with him. 

*****

Kaiba worked until it was quite late that night, determined to take his mind off a certain blond and the disgusting yet oddly cute way said blond licked tomato-sauce from his fingers.

_Like a puppy. An adorable, clumsy, ill-mannered puppy._

He had never given in to Mokuba's occasional pleas for a pet, but he could vaguely recall there parents having a dog. Before the accident that changed everything.

_'Oh, how touching, Kaiba-baby. So Joey reminds you of your past? Your happy, happy youth?'_

"Why don't you leave me alone? Why do you pop up now?" he asked the emptiness of his office.

_'But Seto, don't you understand? I'm hurt ; I thought you knew.'_

"Knew what?" he whispered, fearing the answer.

_'I'm jealous, Kaiba-boy ; jealous that you let a mutt like that Joey Wheeler take a place in your life, and even in your heart while you refused to give that to me.'_

Kaiba shivered.

_'You could have had so much more.'_ The voice murmured sadly, yet with a hint of contentment at his reaction. 

"You're not real. I'm just imagining things ; the real you is far away from here. On that island you have bought from all the money you gathered by stealing *my* ideas."

There was no reply. He wondered why, until the door behind him burst open and an excited Mokuba bounced into the room. "Big brother, will you come and play TurtleRacer with us?"

Joey walked into the room behind Mokuba. Kaiba noted, half with amusement and half with surprise, that he looked just as excited as the younger boy ; his brown eyes were glowing and his cheeks were flushed.

Kaiba shook his head. "Sorry, Mokuba."

"Oh, come on, Seto. Have some fun for once ; it's really good!" Joey said pleadingly, while Mokuba nodded his agreement with the statement.

"You should be in bed by now, Mokuba. It's almost midnight." Kaiba tried to look stern, though he had never managed to do so in front of his little brother. He loved him too much.

"Yes, big brother." Mokuba didn't argue, never argued with what Kaiba told him to do. Yet the sadness in his eyes, no matter how well-hidden, was like a knife through his heart. It hurt.

As the door fell shut behind Mokuba, Joey glared at Kaiba. "You're not his father, you know."

"I'm aware of that, yes." Kaiba replied sarcastically.

"Well, I suppose I should go to bed too then." Joey said, not moving.

"I suppose you should." _So what are you still doing here?_

"Only ... " Joey's voice trailed off as a blush crept up to his face.

Kaiba raised one eyebrow.

"Only I don't know where my room is anymore." Joey confessed

Kaiba couldn't help it ; he started to laugh. The half-hurt, half-angry look Joey was throwing in his direction didn't stop him either.

"I'll walk you to your room then, puppy. It's not too far from my own, so it's no bother really. I should go to bed too."

~tbc I promise~

_authoress' note_

From 16th july to 16th august I will not be able to get on-line. This means I will not be able to update any of my stories during that period. (Neither will I be able to read any fanfiction ;_;). I am very, very sorry for this and hope you'll still want to read my stories when I get back.

Anyway, if you have taken the trouble to read this and if there's some pairing or theme you'd like me to write a fic on, feel free to let me know. I can't promise I'll actually write your request, but I'll definitely think about it. 

Joey : Didn't you say you were a bit stressed recently with all those stories you had to write for?

Misura : Yes, so?

Joey : -_- Never mind.

Oh, and if you have some time to spare and haven't done so yet, perhaps you could take a look at 'Desperate measures', another Seto/Joey-story I'm working on? It's a two-shot, so it's not that long plus it'll be finished soon. Thanks in advance!


	7. Seventh

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Kaiba/Joey, not many other characters except for Mokuba, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 17th june 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the sixth chapter (this section's kinda long but I wrote the chapter before this one so don't worry about the chapter being shorter because of it):

To Cherry and Frosty : Wheee! Thank you very much! (Isn't it the intention that counts?)

To Shitsumon : Uhm, I'm not entirely sure. Pegasus is alive anyway, if that's any help. I still haven't seen all of the series yet (in fact, I don't even know which serie I'm watching ^^;).

To Beverly : Uh-uh, no spoiling any mysteries! Though I can say it's *not* Kaiba's father since I haven't even *seen* that character, so it would be a bit hard to write about him ne?

Pegasus : Come on, the voice isn't very nice. So how could it be me?

Mokuba : How many people that you know call my brother 'Kaiba-boy'?

Pegasus : Why does everyone think I'm a meanie! ;_; Cecelia! No one understands me!

To Ru-chan : Kaiba thanks you for the sympathy, and Pegasus says he'll work on coming to haunt you (just kidding!). Uhm, sorry for the long wait, but you *were* warned. More or less.

To sodapop : Uhm, actually not that much happens, sorry. They are just thinking a lot. -_-

To beady : Thank you for your kind review! As to your question :

Misura : Any volunteers for a glomp?

....

Misura : -_- I feel so loved.

Anyway, a glomp is a mixture of a tackle/hug/embrace, basically meaning you jump someone for a good, firm hug before he or she has a chance to evade you. At least, that's what I think it is.

To keira maxwell : Sorry for not being in time with beta-ing this chapter to post it before I left ; I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless!

To Shiroki Kietsuki : Hehe, I don't know that much about it either. That's why I made this fic AU *and* asked the readers to point out any mistakes to me. I'm rather amazed it turns out so well. (Typos? Whooops! I'll try not to do that again.)

Kaiba : I'm not an icecube! And if I were, I definitely wouldn't be a melting one!

Mokuba : *glomps Kaiba* I love you, big brother!

Kaiba : *melts*

Joey : Oh, and I don't think we're really archenemies. If you meant me, that is.

Kaiba : *icy glare* How could *you* be my archenemy, mutt?

Pegasus : Do you mean me? But ... but I'm just a fellow businessman! Friendly rivalry, nothing personal, you know ... Why does everyone seem to think the worst of me?

To Black Magician Girl : Uhm, what does? I hope you didn't mean the chapter ... ;_;

To Ramna Higurashi : Yup, and not being able to read any new fanfics sucks even more! (Ow, I'm so selfish sometimes). Sorry.

To Tasan15 : Uhm, because I had to end it somewhere and this place was as good as any? I mean, it wasn't *that* much of a cliffhanger was it? 

To RavenWings (Saa Ra) : Thank you very much ; I'm glad this chapter made at least one person laugh! I'm sure Joey has a pretty good memory but well, Kaiba's house is simply too big.

Mokuba : Ooooh, I have an idea! Maybe Joey's a good actor too! Maybe he just wants some moments with Kaiba and hopes for a nightkiss! Hehehe!

Kaiba : WHAT?!?

Joey : *puppy eyes at full force* Would I do that, Seto-chan? Just for a kiss from your sweet lips?

Kaiba : .... I'm surrounded by people trying to manipulate me!

Pegasus : Awww. Want to come living with me? I have a very nice dungeon on offer! ~.^

As to Seto's past, well, I don't really know that myself. I know he and Mokuba were orphaned, adopted, treated badly and stuck through it all together, but that's about it. (I only know Noa and Gozabura [if that's his name] by uhm name.)

To Sabby : Thank you for your sympathy ; here's the new chapter! Hope you enjoy! Not being on-line does give one lots of time I discovered (if only the inspiration was preserved as well!)

To phwee? yami hobo : I'm glad to hear you haven't taken a dislike to this story ; please don't cry! 

Kaiba : A good-night kiss? Eeewwww!

Joey : For once, I agree with you.

Kaiba : Why, do you think I'm a bad kisser?

Joey : Uhm ...

Kaiba : *smirks* Let me prove you wrong. Mokuba, would you leave us alone for a few hours?

Mokuba : *pouts* 

Misura : I like the idea, Mokuba likes the idea, Joey likes the idea, Kaiba likes the idea ... only it didn't end up in this chapter. ^^;

To aku-no-hime : I promised I would, didn't I?

Pegasus : How many times do I have to protest my innocence?

Joey : Zero, since no one's going to believe you anyway!

You'll find out ... eventually.

To Escuro de la Lus : Thank you very much for your kind review.

Pegasus : Yes, what *would* I be doing in Kaiba's head? It's not as if there's anything interesting in there, except some hentai images of Joey ... I am really glad someone brought up this important point, even if it's not one of my fans. 

Kaiba : You don't have any.

Pegasus : Everything in this story has a purpose, except the parts that don't. If you look at the Warnings/notes, you'll notice *I*'m not in them. That too has a purpose.

To Wan2B, Sadako and Krystal : *ducks for cover* Uhm, I'm really, really, really sorry and I'll never ever do it again? Please forgive me ; it wasn't my fault.

To overlyobsesedwithyugi : Uhm, you did notice Yugi isn't going to be in this, didn't you? And you still read this story? Thank you so much! If I ever get my hands on the YuGiOh-boys, you can have Yugi! ^_^

Kaiba : How cheap to promise something like that.

Bakura : *cackles* You'll never get us! Muhaha!

To Lethe : Wow, thank you! I just like both of their characters, and they suit eachother so well!

Kaiba and Joey : No we don't!

Misura and Mokuba : Awww! Aren't they cute?

To Jade j.j : Yes, I was very sad too. Thanks for reviewing ; hope this chapter's worth the wait.

To Alithiel and Arlyssa : Woohoo! Do go and write a story too! I'm not sure when I'll finish this one, but I hope you'll enjoy the ride. I must admit I don't think anyone can match Mokuba in kawaii-ness, but hey, that's just my opinion. Joey's cute too, only different. Even Seto's cute, in a way.

Kaiba * scowling* : I. Am. Not. Cute.

See what I mean? ^^;

To Gangsta Videl : Thank you for the compliments! Oh, and it's really not necessary to threaten me ; I always get nervous when people do that. And you know how hard it is to type when your hands are shaking, ne? (Well, possibly you don't, but …)

*

Sorry for the long wait ; it shouldn't happen again.

Rehash of the previous chapters in a nutshell: Joey lost a duel to Kaiba and now has to live in Kaiba's house for as long as Kaiba wants him to, to keep Mokuba company since Kaiba is too busy. After a visit to Kaiba's office with Mokuba, Joey must confess he doesn't know where his room is anymore and Kaiba offers to walk him there.

**********

"There you are." After a walk that had seemed much longer than it had actually been, during which neither of them had spoke, Kaiba halted in front of a door.

"Are you sure?" The door looked the same as all the others they had passed along the way. 

Kaiba glared at him. "Of course I'm sure. This is *my* house, remember?"

"Yeah, right." Joey replied, pushing the door open to reveal, indeed, the room where he had unpacked some of his things earlier. He stepped forward, stopping in the door-frame.

"What is it? Can't go to sleep without a plushie to keep you safe? I can ask Mokuba if he can borrow you one, if - "

"Don't you ever stop?" Joey bit out, interrupting him.

"Very well, mutt, no teddybear for you. What then? Are you waiting for me to give you a good-night kiss or something?" Kaiba smirked.

An angry reply rose to Joey's lips, before he was able to get himself in check again.

"Listen, Kaiba, it's late and I'm tired. I don't know why you're so obsessed with pestering me, but I do know I'm not in the mood to deal with it right now. Good night!"

Quickly stepping inside, he slammed the door shut.

He felt exhausted, drained both mentally and physically.

_Damn. It's only been one day, even less in fact._

_And I feel like this already._

_How am I ever going to survive this?_

_Why does he have to be so ... so ..._

_Worst of it is, if there'd been any chance of him being serious, I' definitely wouldn't have minded a good-night kiss from him. _

_That's really kinda sick._

_Let's hope things will be looking better in the morning, after some sleep._

_Or better yet, that I'll wake up in my own bed and room, discovering I've just dreamt this._

_Yeah, that'd be nice ...._

Softly smiling, Joey fell asleep. It wasn't long before the dreams started.

*****

Kaiba stared at the door that had been closed in his face so rudely. For a moment he felt the urge to bang on it, demanding ... what? An apology?

_Like that stubborn mutt would ever apologize for something to me!_

_If it hadn't been for Mokuba, I'd tell him to pack his bags first thing in the morning._

_"Oh, do keep lying to yourself, Kaiba-boy. It's so entertaining."_

Kaiba scowled and stalked down the hall, to his own room -

_"You're so touchy, you know. You should just - "_

which was next to Mokuba's. He never heard the voice there, though he did sometimes wake up soaked in cold sweat after a nightmare in which, he was sure, it had played a role.

Or rather, its owner.

Mokuba was his shield against it, like he had always been Mokuba's protector against anyone who wanted to harm the younger boy or mold him into some puppet. Like he still did.

They took care of eachother, had never needed anyone else besides eachother.

And now there was Joey, whom Kaiba himself had included in their lives.

_Was it a mistake to ask -or rather force- him to come and live here?_

_Will I lose the only person I really love because of him?_

*****

Mokuba was still awake, lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. At the stars, since after a lot of whining from his side, Seto had allowed him to put on Glow-in-the-dark-stars in a reproduction of the nightsky.

Mokuba had just wanted to put them on at random, but his brother had insisted they be put on in a copy of reality. He had used a computer-program to make a copy of the sky at the exact hour and date Mokuba had been born and then scaled it down to the size of his ceiling.

It had been a lot of fuss about nothing, but it had also been fun to work on something with Seto, to see his brother so enthusiastic about a project not related to Kaiba Corp or making money.

Mokuba sighed, wondering if things would change for the better or for the worse now that they weren't living with just the two of them anymore. Wondering how long Joey would stay.

He had noticed the glares between them, the barely suppressed emotions sparking off them. They were keeping it down, for his sake probably, though he hardly knew Joey so he couldn't see why the blond would want to spare his feelings, but his guts told him a storm was brewing.

_And if I feel that after barely twelve hours, things are bound to grow worse._

_Or better, depends on the way you look at it._

_Seto keeps his feelings inside a lot of the time, though he always has a smile for me._

_Perhaps it's a good thing if he lets go for once._

_Perhaps Joey is the perfect person to make him do that._

Mokuba giggled softly as plans and plots started to flutter through his mind. 

_Perhaps I shouldn't try to meddle in this, but it could be a lot of fun I think._

_And in the end, it'll all be for the better._

_I have always loved my big brother and I already like Joey._

~tbc I promise~


	8. Eighth

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Kaiba/Joey, not many other characters except for Mokuba, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 25th june 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the seventh chapter :

To Kaira-chan : ^_^ Yes, I absolutely love to write Mokuba this way. 

Mokuba *looks innocent* : Evil? Me? No idea what you're talking about!

To Ryou Bakura22 : -_-; I feel bad about that too. Only ... well, it's just been about two days since they met up. Romance takes time. Glad to hear you're entertained so far.

To Ru-chan : Sorry, allowing Seto to use that would ruin the element of mystery in the story. Seto'll have to do with Mokuba I'm afraid.

Pegasus *glomping a Funny Bunny plushie* : ;_; Why don't people like me?

F.B. plushie : Because you're mean, obsessed and Evil!

Pegasus : O_o *runs away screaming*

Mokuba *picks up plushie* Hehehe ... that'll teach him stealing my brother's soul!

To Joey-lover : Thank you!

Mokuba : ^_^ I think it's a pretty good plan, even if I do say so myself. We're going to [*]

Seto & Joey : Noooooo! Not [*]

[*] = words removed to prevent spoiling

To Be_humane_to_seahorses : I always forget which part of his name means that ^^; (the last part hm? I'll try to remember that). (Don't seahorses have males do the raising of their young? Not that that has anything to do with anything but ...).

Seto : I'm so relieved to hear you hate this pairing! Save me!

Thank you for the information on Seto's past ; I've read several stories about it, only I was never sure which elements in them were 'real' and which were 'fiction', since they contradicted eachother sometimes. I'd never thought the official versions would differ too. ^^;

To ColeyCarissa : Glad to hear so!

To Kami Beverly : Uhm ... patience is a virtue?

Mokuba : Am I right or am I right? There's only one!

Pegasus : I once again protest my innocence.

To Alithiel and Arlyssa : Thank you ; I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations!

To Ranma Higurashi : One week ... soon enough? 

Mokuba : I'm not little! I'm as tall as Yugi.

Yugi : ... And Yami says I'm perfect! ^_^

To beady : Mokuba's plan is revealed in this chapter, but I'm afraid the Pegasus-mystery will remain unsolved for a while.

To dragongirl45 : Thank you ; I'll try to do better.

Seto : I 'seem' to be the one getting tortured?!? I *am*! Everyone's out to get me!

Pegasus : Not fair! What about me? At least Kaiba-boy gets a living love-interest.

To shitsumon : Yup, I'm a little mean sometimes, ne?

Mokuba : 'Plan'? Like I have only one! I *will* make them see the light! Muhahahaha!

Seto & Joey : *run to hide from Mokuba, end up in the same closet, etc.* *come out three hours later, holding hands*

Mokuba : I'm a genius!

To Ancient Angel : Me and Mokuba thought it wasn't such a bad idea either, only Joey said he was 'too tired'.

Seto : Hey, I offered! Not my fault he didn't want!

Joey : Like you'd have kissed me if I'd said 'yes'!

Seto : Well, you'll never know.

Thanks for the compliments! ^_^

To Nekocin : Sorry for not making this perfect in spelling (or were you talking about plot-errors?).

Mokuba : 'Maybe'? Be sure of it! They need one!

Seto & Joey : -_- Glad at least *someone* is enjoying our mental torture.

Hm, I did try to make Kaiba ic. Pity I failed again.

To Escuro de la Lus : Well, I did leave a warning I'd be gone for quite a while ; I hope you won't have to wait that long again. Glad to hear you like it so much! ^_^

To Dillon : I must admit I usually don't put any butter on my bread, but I can appreciate the comparison ; it seems apt indeed.

Seto : Isn't Vash some assassin?

Mokuba : I thought you never watched anime. Too busy with other things.

Seto : .... no comment.

To Kisakino Ookami : Wheee, glad to hear you're enjoying this fic so much.  ^_^

**********

Joey was woken by the sound of someone yelling. Grabbing his trousers and shirt on the way, he sprinted in the direction of the sound, worried something might have happened to Mokuba. Or Kaiba, who was the CEO of a corporation and billionaire after all.

According to a lot of Action-flicks Joey had seen, as well as to his logical sense, that made Kaiba a perfect target.

_Yeah, and if that scream was really caused by some creeps trying to kidnap him or something, you coming to his rescue's going to do him a lot of good._

_Smart move, Joey._

He stormed through the halls, once again amazed by their emptiness, winding up at a familiar door. At least, he thought he had seen it before. Pausing for a moment, not hearing anymore sounds, he opened it cautiously.

The sight that greeted him was both reassuring and disturbing. Reassuring because both Kaiba and Mokuba were perfectly safe and all right, disturbing because there was a big, goofy grin plastered on their faces. 

It was nothing new to see Mokuba like that, though it surprised him the kid could look even happier than he usually seemed, but to see Kaiba like that ....

_So happy. Making it hard to believe he's the same Kaiba who likes to call me names and sneers at people all the time._

_I wish I could make him smile like that ... Uhm ..._

"You promised, big brother!" Mokuba waved his finger. "You promised me."

"Are you sure you don't want to wait until tomorrow? I'm rather tired at the moment..."

"That's because you went back to work after I left yesterday night, didn't you? Bad, bad Seto!" Mokuba admonished his brother with a frown, which did nothing to diminish his or Kaiba's expression of enjoyment. Joey guessed they both knew how their argument was going to end.

"I'm sorry, Mokuba. How can I make up to you?" Kaiba's eyes sparkled.

Joey wished he could have taken a picture of that.

Mokuba considered for a moment, then brightened up again. "You can promise to take me to the beach next week."

"But we're already doing that today!"

"Wheeee! Yes! Thank you soooo much big brother! I won't be a bother to you and let you enjoy your rest." Mokuba bounced around the room, ending up glomping Kaiba.

"You're never bothering me, Mokuba." Kaiba returned the hug, making Joey feel like he was spying on something very private all the more.

_Perhaps I should close the door now, pretend I never saw this._

_I bet Kaiba'd be mad at me if he saw me now._

Not that Joey particularly cared if Kaiba got angry at him, of course, but somehow having Kaiba be mad at him for witnessing him lose his mask while hugging his little brother was different from having him be mad because of some imagined insult or slight.

On the other hand though, the thought of Kaiba knowing Joey *knew* his coldness was no more than a mask held a certain attraction as well. Maybe it would cause him to be less afraid of dropping his mask in Joey's presence.

_Or is that merely wishful thinking?_

"Joey!" Mokuba noticed him, before he could make up his mind. "You're awake! Good, now we can leave all the sooner. We're going to the beach." Those last words were almost sung.

"Uhm, I'd better go pack some stuff then." After Joey had nodded at a beaming Mokuba and a scowling Kaiba, he sprinted back to his room, the route still in his head from last night. It took him longer this time to get there, which didn't seem quite logical.

_Odd. Ah well, where's my swimming-stuff?_

While tossing some things in a bag, Joey tried not to think about how Kaiba would look in swimming-clothes. Unfortunately his imagination had lots of pictures to provide him with.

_I am *not* in love with Kaiba! Or in lust, for that matter!_

_I did *not* dream about him last night. Nope._

_I am *not* thinking how hot he would look wearing only boxers or how it would feel to rub sunscreen over his skin._

_Or how it would feel to have him rub sunscreen all over my skin ..._

Joey shivered.

_Damn it! I need a cold shower. _

*****

"I don't understand you two ; why'd you take a shower *before* going for a swim? I mean afterwards, I can understand, with all that salt water, but before?" Mokuba shook his head, exasperated. 

Kaiba growled something unintelligible, while Joey blushed.

_"Well, Mokuba, you see I was thinking of your sexy brother and then .. "_

He snorted. The expression on Kaiba's face might be fun to see, if there'd be one, but ...

"Did I say something funny?" Mokuba asked, blinking at Kaiba.

"Of course not. Some people simply have an odd sense of humor, that's all." Kaiba shrugged.

"Can I drive?" Mokuba wanted to know next. Kaiba shook his head. "Pleeease! You know I can!"

"The police around here doesn't." Kaiba said curtly. Mokuba sighed.

Kaiba ruffled his hair. "I really am sorry, Mokuba, but I'm sure you too wouldn't want to waste a lot of time you could spend on the beach because I have to convince the local authorities you are capable of handling a car."

"It's okay, I understand."

Joey frowned. "You make it sound as if you only moved here recently."

Kaiba abruptly returned his attention to the road, while Mokuba giggled.

"We only spend our vacation here. Well, it's supposed to be a vacation anyway." The younger boy glared at his brother. "Our former house is now a part of Kaiba-corporation, so we're looking for a new house. Seto has found two he liked but we haven't decided yet."

"Where are those houses, if I may ask so?" Joey asked, a funny feeling in his stomach.

"One is in Do- " Mokuba started, when Kaiba interrupted him.

"We're there."

~tbc I promise~


	9. Ninth

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Kaiba/Joey, not many other characters except for Mokuba, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 29th june 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the eighth chapter :

To Dillon : *nods* Yes, that definitely says something. Hehehe.

Mokuba : I don't get it. *shrugs* But, who cares ; we're going to the beeeeaach! ^_^

Seto : -_- O joy.

To Kaira-chan : Mokuba being evil, is like Kaiba being cold or Joey being blond to me. 

Mokuba : I'm not evil!

Seto : No, you're just an spoilt, bouncy pest. But I love you anyway.

Bakura : How dare you use the term 'evil' to describe a puny kid like him? *I* am truely Evil! Muhaha! I will conquer the world! .... After I have gotten over my trouble with confessing my eternal love to Ryou-chan and gotten him to let me do that of course. Important things first.

To Ancient Angel : Wheeee, thank you! ^_^

To Lethe Seraph : Yes, you are. So Seto is thinking about moving to the city where Joey lives, or somewhere else. About your remark on Joey ...

Seto : You seriously think he's *thinking* more than once a week?

Joey : Hey, I'm not that dumb! She's right! *preens* I'm pretty smart!

Mokuba : -_- Yeah, that's why you need a kid like me to help you with your love-life. Right.

To Ranma Higurashi : It seemed logical somehow ...

Mokuba : I took digital driving lessons first. ^_^

Seto : And ruined five cars afterwards. -_- Good thing we're rich.

To Firewing : I object. I just have to end the chapter *somewhere*. And come on, you *know* how it'll end, don't you?

Mokuba : *sings* Joey and Seto, sitting in a tree, kissing. 

To Joey-lover : Would you like one of my muses to do something about Amando? He doesn't sound too nice ... and you've left me such nice reviews!

Bakura : Ooooh, can I send him to the Shadow Realm? Can I? Pleeeaaase!

To Nekocin : Yeah, I try. Luckily I have skilled help.

Mokuba : I'm a genius!

Seto : I have no idea what you're talking about. Talk to my P.R.-office.

Besides, it's been eight chapters already now. I want to *end* this fic properly some time.

To Escuro de la Lus : Thank you ; glad to hear you liked it so much!

Seto : ;_; It's not my fault!

Pegasus : Peggy-chan?! PEGGY-CHAN?!? ...... I like that. ^_^ Sounds kinda cute!

To SixTwoSeven and Wan2B : Please don't yell at me. It hurts my ears. I can't concentrate when my ears hurt. So I can't update this fic then either.

Seto : GOOD! BECAUSE I -hmph. *gets shut up by Mokuba*

Misura : Ouch.

To Ryou Bakura22 : Hey, I promised, ne?

To Revenge Seeker : Really? It's not even under 'Suspense'! Thank you!

To FireFaerie1 : *drops in a dead-faint at the concept of Seto *beating* Mokuba*

Seto : Thanks for the info. I'm sure she'll be able to use it against me some day, when she needs something to press me into another one of her fics. Now, a few more things :

1. My trenchcoat is *mine*! *snatches back trenchcoat*

2. *I* am the only one allowed to glomp Mokuba. *does so*

3. You can keep Joey, for all I care. I don't want him. No really. I don't want him at all. Nope.

Mokuba : *pats Seto* It's okay, big brother. She'll give him back to you. *glares*

To Alithiel and Arlyssa : Thank you! Actually the plot's supposed to start unraveling now ...

Mokuba : Hey! Am I not a bishonen too?

To Rowan and Sakura : You're right about that home, though if they'll move there … who knows? (Except me that is, hehehe). I'm working on the fluff, only the angst keeps creeping in. Still, they'll get there. Because I like fluff too. ^_^

To deaddesire : Here it is! Thanks for the encouragement!

**********

_Why the heck did I ever thought going to the beach would mean I'd get to see a bit more of Kaiba's skin? Geez, that guy's just not normal!_

They had been at the beach for a good three hours now. In that time, Joey and Mokuba had gone for a swim, played tag and beachvolleyball and built a sandcastle.

Kaiba was sitting on a towel, fully dressed, reading a book. At first he had wanted to work on his laptop, only Mokuba had threatened to throw sand on it.

Joey was getting a little annoyed with Kaiba, really.

_Of course it's not that I *want* to see him near-naked or something._

_It's just that well, we're on a *beach* for crying out loud!_

_What's wrong with having a little bit of fun?_

"Joey? Is something the matter?" Mokuba touched his arm worriedly.

"Is he always like that?" Joey asked, gesturing to Kaiba.

Mokuba looked thoughtful, then shook his head. "No. But it's different now that you're with us. I mean, not that it's your fault or anything. Only it's ... different."

"Have you been to the beach before? The two of you?" Joey was curious.

Mokuba nodded. "Of course we have! This is our vacation too, remember? It's weird though ; my brother insisted on coming to this town out of all we could have picked, yet when we arrived here, he was moody a lot, like he wasn't happy with it after all."

Something about those words rang a little bell in the back of Joey's head.

_"What are *you* doing here?" His own, annoyed question._

_"I could ask the same to you. And with more right. I *live* here, just outside the city." Kaiba's sneering answer._

"You're here on a vacation too, aren't you? That house isn't really your home at all." Joey tried to fit all facts together, but it failed to make much sense.

"Oh, it is ours all right." Mokuba grinned. "Seto bought it about two months ago and we moved in straight away. I rather liked our previous home, even if it was a lot smaller, but ah well, as long as I'm with Seto I'm happy."

_Two months ago .... that's about two weeks after the last tournament I attended._

_I had already planned my trip then, though I'm sure I didn't tell Kaiba about it._

"Joey? You're fading out again. Is the heat bothering you?"

He shook his head. "Sorry. Just lost in thoughts. How about we try to get your brother out of at least some of his clothes?" 

Mokuba giggled. "That's a great idea! I didn't want to propose it myself since I know the two of you don't really get along and I wouldn't like making things worse but ... "

Joey snorted. "He hates me, I hate him. You can't 'make things worse'."

Mokuba started to shake his head, then thought better of it. This wasn't the time or the place to drop a casual hint about the fact that his brother anything but disliked Joey.

"Race you there!" he yelled, all of a sudden, laughing at Joey's indignant cry.

*****

_"Why don't you simply cut a hole in that book so you get a good view? It's not like you're reading it any way."_

_Yes I am._ Kaiba hissed.

_"Oh, please, Seto-dear. There's nothing wrong with admitting you enjoy watching those two splashing around. They're downright cute."_

_*Mokuba* is cute, yes. That's why I'll never let you come near him._

_"So suspicious. I'm hurt."_

_I couldn't care less._

Kaiba peeked at his brother and the puppy again, noticing they were both headed his way at top-speed. He blinked, wondering what they were up to.

_"Oh, one more thing, Kaiba-boy."_

_What?_

_"You might want to turn your book upside up. Looks more convincing."_

*****

"Are you enjoying yourself, Mokuba?" Kaiba asked with a smile.

Mokuba nodded enthusiastically, while Joey caught his breath.

_Damn, that kid's fast!_

_And is it my imagination or is Kaiba pointedly ignoring me?_

"Me and Joey have even built a sandcastle, almost as big as the one we made when we were last here, though it wasn't as pretty." Mokuba beamed proudly.

"That's very nice. Can I see it?" Kaiba replied.

Joey hid his grin.

_A perfect opening! _

"Sure! Only you'd definitely get your nice clothes dirty if you kept them on."

Kaiba shrugged. "Who cares? I can put them in the laundry when we get home."

"But ... but ... " Mokuba protested.

"Oh, come on Kaiba! You got to ogle *me* all this time, it's nothing but fair if you repay me the favor." Joey blurted out. "Or are you chicken?"

Mokuba burst out giggling, while Kaiba turned an interesting shade of red -

_Uh oh. So he *has* been watching me._

_Do I like that?_

- before scowling and starting to shed most of his clothes. 

"Just for your information, mutt, I do *not* consider being allowed to watch you a 'favor'. But I won't have it said I'm a coward, not even by you."

"Well, fine. Apparently you're too dense to understand when something is only a joke." Joey retorted heatedly.

"You have as bad a taste in jokes as in everything!" 

_You wouldn't say that if you knew how I think about you sometimes._

"Have not!"

"Have too!"

"HAVE NOT!"

"HAVE TOO!"

Mokuba decided that now was a perfect moment to use the two buckets of water he had brought. "Children, children!" he chided, when two soaked teenagers started shrieking at him.

"Mind your language around people younger than yourselves!"

~tbc I promise~


	10. Tenth

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Kaiba/Joey, not many other characters except for Mokuba, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 3rd july 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the ninth chapter :

To Kaneda-Shotaro and Yami Tetsuo :Yay, you're still reading! Thank you!

To OoshatiElf : Thank you very much ; I'll do my best.

To Joey-lover : Well, I'm sure Bakura will be very happy to hear that. ^_^ I'll send him on his way straight away ....

Ryou : ;_; Noooooo! Yami! Don't leave me! *glomps Bakura*

Bakura : But Ryou-koi! I want to go. I won't be gone long.

Ryou : *bursts out crying* You don't love me!

Bakura : *looks trapped* Yes, I do.

.... uhm, or as soon as I've convinced Ryou to let him go. ^^;

To Ranma Higurashi : Well, no. I only saw parts of the anime. Maybe that explains?

Mokuba : *glares* Could you stop saying that? *lowers voice* You're blowing my cover! Misura thinks I'm the cutest kid she ever saw. I'd like to keep it that way. Hehe.

Pegasus : Ah, another wrongfully accused person! Can we be friends now? ^_^ Like cartoons?

Mokuba : Seeeetoooo! Saaaave meeeee!

To Kumorimisora : Glad to hear you liked it!

Pegasus : You really think so? Teehee! ^_^

Seto : *glares* 

Pegasus : Not that I have *anything* to do with this chapter, of course.

To Escuro de la Lus : Thank you, I had a lot of fun thinking up that scene. ^_^

Mokuba : ^_^

Pegasus : ^_^ .... I mean, what are you talking about? I didn't say anything!

To Dia5 : Well, I too see Mokuba's role mainly as funny. It's not my fault he's smarter than Joey and Seto combined when it comes to match-making.

Bakura : *sneaks in and steals Seto's trenchcoat* *returns to Ryou after a quick visit to Amanda* 

Mai : *kicks down door and saves Joey* Do you have dirt in your eyes again, or are you missing someone? Oh, never mind. *grins* The authoress's not done with you yet. Sorry, Dia.

To Nekocin : Wow, thanks! ^_^

Mokuba : Don't I always sound cute? ^_^

Seto : Well, you know how puppies are. Want to play all the time.

To Kaira-chan : *whispers* He can't! He's just faking it so he can ogle Joey! ^^; *normal voice again* Hn, I've heard Mokuba's name means something like 'Wooden horse'. At least Seto's name means something reasonably normal. Be patient, I'm getting there!

To Ru-chan : Thanks, I agree and will do my best. Oh, and one of my other muses wants to say something to Rui.

Aya : *draws katana* You work for Takatori. Shi-ne!

To Lethe Seraph : Thank you! ^_^

Mokuba : *pouts*

Joey : *beams*

To surfernetgrl : Thanks! I simply can't picture Seto without Mokuba around, so I usually weave him in somewhere. They're like hikari and yami, except that they're tied by blood and hardships too and don't look identical.

To Alithiel and Arlyssa : Yep, but now the hunt for the towels begins! Hehehe.

Mokuba : ^_^

To Rowan and Sakura : Sakura's right ; he wasn't. Would you, if you could ogle the love of your life being near-naked instead? ^^;

To Kami Beverly : Well, not *everybody*. I know. ^_^;

Pegasus : And I. At least, I know it's not me.

Seto : And I. It's Pegasus.

I'll probably solve that mystery in a special chapter, not to interrupt the romance-plot. Sorry.

To Assassin of the Shadows :  ^_^ I love to use him for convenient things like that.

Mokuba : *beams* and *highfives back* 

To Ryo Gin : Thank you. I adore the little cutie myself, so in this way I try to let other people see his inherent sweetness and adorability.

Seto & Joey : -_-

To Kisakino Ookami : Well, I write these comments in the order I receive the reviews they reply to ; it's the easiest way. Please don't feel slighted by it, see it as a 'last but not least'.

**********

Faced with two very angry people much bigger than himself, Mokuba had decided his best option was to drop the buckets and run away, to have Joey and Seto cool down on their own.

Thanks to his relatively small size, it was a lot easier for him to slip through the crowds on the beach than it would be for either of them.

When he was sure no one was pursueing him, he slowed down, fishing some money Seto had given him earlier out of his pocket to buy himself some icecream.

Licking away at the cold sweetness, Mokuba mentally considered the outcome of his plan so far.

He had gotten them to the beach.

That was good.

Seto insisted on not-relaxing in front of Joey.

That was bad.

Joey seemed disinclined to take the first step.

That could be fixed.

_With some luck, they might team up to plot some kind of revenge against me for soaking them._

Mokuba giggled. 

_This could be a lot of fun!_

He'd have to be careful not to get caught too quickly of course ; the longer they had to try, the better the odds of something sparking between them.

Carefully picking his way, Mokuba strolled down the long line of shops and stands.

*****

Joey considered chasing after Kaiba's brat of a little brother for a good three seconds, before deciding it wouldn't be a very smart move.

Besides, what would he do when he captured Mokuba?

It wasn't as if splashing someone wet was a criminal offense. Now, if Mokuba had been Tristan or one of his other friends, Joey wouldn't have hesitated a second.

But this was Mokuba Kaiba, a kid much younger and smaller than himself, not to mention the little brother of Seto.

_Kaiba probably wouldn't like me even *touching* his beloved Mokuba._

_Not that I care about what Kaiba does or doesn't like only ..._

_I *am* here as his guest. More or less._

"Are you going to let him get away with this?" Joey inquired.

_If he's always this lenient with Mokuba, it's a miracle the kid isn't spoilt rotten._

"What do you propose I do about it then?" Kaiba replied.

_Is that a glimmer of amusement I see in his eyes?_

"Well, you could have kept him from high-tailing it out of here, for starters."

"By running after him, like *this*?!?" Kaiba gestured at his soaked clothes. "I really don't think so, *mutt*. Unlike you, I have some sense of dignity."

_Hm, I must have imagined it ... or didn't I?_

_He sounds so pompous ... yet he's not *that* much older than me, is he?_

"You're right ; you'd look ridiculous." Joey grinned. "Not that you don't do so already."

"I ... you ... " Kaiba looked murderous.

"What is it? Can't take a bit of truth?" Joey laughed.

_The expression on his face ... like he just found out he lost something only can't understand why or how. Almost ... sort of ... cute._

"You're one to talk ; you look like a drowned puppy!" Kaiba scoffed.

_Awww, is that supposed to hurt?_

"Well, that makes two of us then, ne?"

_The sun is shining, I'm on a vacation at the beach ... I'm not going to have you ruin my mood here, Kaiba._

_Plus, I get the impression my cheerfulness bothers you more than any insult I could think of._

Kaiba stared at him incredulously, as if he couldn't believe Joey wasn't retorting to his remark with an insult of his own.

"Imitating a fish now?" Joey teased.

_This is actual fun!_

_Like I'm here with my friends._

_..._

_Is that what I want? To become friends with Seto Kaiba?_

*****

Kaiba wondered why Joey wasn't reacting the way he usually did when Kaiba compared him to a dog. He was also a bit puzzled by Mokuba's hasty departure ; it wasn't like him at all.

Usually when Mokuba played a childish prank on his older brother, it was to goad Kaiba into participating in some sort of activity he normall considered himself too mature for.

Like a water-fight. They had had one at their previous visit to the beach, and Kaiba had enjoyed it immensely, though he'd never admit that to anyone.

Mokuba knew it anyway, also knew better than to ask.

"Could I have a towel?" Joey asked, interrupting his thoughts, seemingly tired of having to wait for an answer to his last taunt. "I think I'm done swimming for today and it's a bit chilly with the wind." He shivered a little to demonstrate his point.

"Sure. I have some in the bag." Kaiba had no idea why Joey had turned from 'annoying' into 'polite' but he wasn't about to complain. Normally he might have objected to acting as some servant for the blond, but in all fairness he wouldn't have appreciated Joey simply rummaging around for a towel in the bag himself.

_Now, where are they?_

_I am positive I packed them._

_So why can I only find one?_

_Mokuba ... he wouldn't ..._

*****

Somewhere at the other end of the beach, a raven-haired boy decided to treat himself to another ice-cream. He considered he had more than earned it.

Hiding those extra towels hadn't been easy, not even with Seto so determinedly not looking at any point near Joey.

"Now they'll have to share." he nodded with satisfaction. "Maybe I could go back and watch ; I'd love to see how they'll deal with that."

~tbc I promise~


	11. Eleventh

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Kaiba/Joey, not many other characters except for Mokuba, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 7th july 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the tenth chapter :

To Dillon : *glares at ff.net* What have you done to Dillon's review?!? Ah well, glad to hear you liked both chapters.

Mokuba : Thank you. I actually prefer the term 'ingenious' or 'smart', but ...

Joey : ^_^ You're so right about Seto! Don't worry, I'll do something about that soon!

Seto : -_- In your dreams, mutt.

To Kami Beverly : Hehehe, I know, sorry.

Joey : AAARGH! I need sugar! People say I'm acting mature! ;_;

Seto : -_- You mean he's acting like a dog instead of a puppy?

To Ancient Angel/Nikki : Well, glad at least some people enjoy being back from vacation.

Bakura : Would you like a weakling hikari for your muse? I happen to have one that's looking for a good home. *grins innocently*

Ryou : Ack, no! Uhm ... sorry, there are way too many muses fluttering around here to recognize if any of them isn't Misura's. Do you have some sort of description?

To Joey-lover : *sound of the doorbell ringing*

Bakura, Marik and Yami : *pose* Have no fear, the Super Trio's here! ^_^

Ryou, Malik and Yugi : *spying from behind the bushes* -_-;

Thank you very much for the encouragement.

To Seto Joeylover : I enjoy writing this, glad you enjoy reading too.

To dh : Thank you!

To Assassin of the Shadows : ^_^

Mokuba : *munches on BIG chocolate chip cookie* Yummy! *beams* Thanks.

Seto : *glares* Why do you give him junk-food? Mokuba ... you're going to be sick!

Mokuba : The authoress will protect me. Teehee! ^_^

To Rowan and Sakura : Oooh, you must be psychic!

Mokuba : Of course I didn't leave them the very smallest. I don't want them to catch a cold!

Seto : *puts up board 'DO NOT FEED THE MOKUBA'*

Mokuba : Uhm, does your house have enough room for all my stuff? And does it have a swimming pool ...

Seto : ... an arena and a virtual reality laboratory? I have a company to lead you know.

Bakura : Heeelloooo! Wouldn't you want to take Ryou off my hands?

Ryou : *glomps Bakura* Yami! You're so mean! But I still love you!

*coughs* Uhm, well, I'm sure you can adopt them somewhere. 

Joey : Oh, and don't even *think* about trying to date Seto. He's MINE!

To OoshatiElf : Yummy, pocky! ^_^ *gets sugar-high while writing this next chapter*

Seto : o.O Joey ... hold me, I'm scared!

Joey & Mokuba : o.O;

To the Chaotic Ones :

-AAries : Yes, I'm a really sad person. Don't worry, I'll try to make amends. 

Seto : Emphasis on 'try'. -_-

-Chaos : Because this is a Romance/other fic, not a PWP lemon. *shrugs* And because I'm even nervous for writing a kiss. ^^;

Joey : I'll consider myself lucky if I get to watch a lovely sunset with Seto-chan before the end. -_-

-Angel : Thank you.

Seto : Oh, joy. You think I either have a psycho in my head *or* have a demented conscience. 

Pegasus : *pats Seto* Hush. *We* know you're perfectly sane. ^_^

To Kaira-chan : Thank you very much. I have about five chapters planned, to have them confess and solve the mystery of Pegasus (I'll probably do that in a separate chapter).

Yami : *pops up out of nowhere* I'm here now! Glomp me! ^_^

Mokuba : *pouts* Spoil-sport!

Seto : *puts up board 'DO NOT GLOMP THE JOEY'* *My* puppy!

Joey : Teehee, I'm 'domesticating' Kaiba! ^_^

Anzu : -_- Do you even know how to spell that?

To Ieyre : I aim to please. ^^;

To Caster : Glad you like it so much! I feel honored ; there are a lot of other good fics out there.

Seto : Oh, and the correct word to describe me is 'cool'. Not cute. That's Joey and Mokuba.

To ChibiSerenity3 : I say, sounds like a good idea. ^^; 

To Ramna Higurashi : *authoress faints again* -_-;

Mokuba : *glares* I'm warning you one more time ...

Joey & Seto : o.O; Mokuba?

Mokuba : .... ^_^ Heeeeey, Joey! Want a bite of my ice-cream?

To Alithiel and Arlyssa : Yes, I'm rather proud of him too.

Mokuba : Yeah, so would I. Too bad Seto's probably going to mess up again.

Seto : Hey! Not my fault [removed for spoilers].

To Difinity : Wow, thank you! ^_^

Mokuba : I'm in it. Of course it's kawaii.

Joey : Kaiba doesn't know the meaning of the word 'sharing'. *grumbles*

To Ru-chan : *giggles*

Aya : Heeeey! I'm not in love with Ken! *glares*

Ken : ;_; 

Crawford : *smirks* My Aya. Though I must admit you're kinda cute too, Hidaka. Wanna share? 

Ken & Aya : *nosebleed*

Schuldich : So much fun, messing around with Brad's lovelife ... but anyway, I think we'd better go before we end up in a cross-over.

All : *shiver*

To Tsuki Ryuu / Michiko /Yami Michiko : *beams* Thank you! Glad to hear the story's still enjoyable if you read all chapters in a row.

Mokuba : *beams* Thank you! ^_^

Joey : *low voice* Would you happen to know where I could get a Seto-plushie too?

To Leaf Zelindor : ^_^ Glad you're enjoying this story!

Seto : -_- Only 'a little' deviant? You mean it actually could be worse?!?

To Big Rikku Fan : (Who's Rikku? Just curious. ^^;) Thank you!

To Angel of pure darkness : I promised, didn't I?

To junana107 : Yup, me and Mokuba think so too.

Pegasus : Even *I* think so.

Seto & Joey : Is that supposed to convince us?

I admit I may enjoy teasing them a little too much, but hey, I'm getting to the romance. ^^;

To Escuro de la Lus : I'll do my best, but eventually there's probably going to be a little less of Mokuba and a little more of Seto/Joey.

Mokuba : Oh yeah, fear me! ^_^

To yuki44 : Thanks, I hope I will.

To Nekocin : Thanks for the corrections! (if 'pursue' + -ing = pursuing, is it also 'eye' + -ing= eying and 'sue' + -ing= suing? that looks kind of weird. to me, I mean).

Mokuba : ^_^ You got one word right about me.

Seto : -_- Yes, the word 'evil'.

Mokuba : Awwww ;_; you don't mean that, do you, big brother? Anyway, well, *someone* had to match them, you know. They're totally hopeless on their own.

To Yamis-girl202 : Wow, be glad Bakura and Joey don't have a say in whether or not I continue this fan fic! They were rather curious to see you make good on your threat. ^^;

Mokuba : ^_^ I love people loving me and hugging plushies in my image. Wheeee!

To Dia5 : Wow, people seem intent on getting me high on sugar. ^_^ Thanks!

Bakura : ... not interested in Ryou, I suppose? *sighs* Guess I'm stuck with him then.

Mokuba : YAY! Cookies!

Ah, I see, you meant *that* kind of funny. ^^;

Seto : -_- Why can't you people give him a nice, healthy apple?

Joey : ... says the person who eats pizza for dinner almost every day.

Seto : That's different.

To Sabby : Thank you!

Mokuba : *beams*

To Aria Marier : Thank you very much!

Seto : *glares* A 'good move'?!?

Pegasus : Well, it might be. If it was me.

Mokuba : Nooooo! Let's *not* go there again!

To Yami Pain : Well, his brother's an inventor after all ; of course Mokuba'd have some talents like that too.

Mokuba : What it's going to take? A lot. Believe me ; those two are sooooo annoying.

To Kisakino Ookami : Wow, thanks! I hope I'll be able to keep it up! The chapter below should satisfy some of your curiosity. ~.^

To phwee? yami hobo : Damn, I'd really have liked a pic of Aya and the shower. ^^; Ah well, thanks for the cookie! *puts it in a box in her safety deposit* (What, you thought I was going to eat it? While it was handed to me by Aya?)  Glad to hear youre still liking it. Oh, and Brad says 'hi' back.

Brad : No I didn't. And don't call me that! My name is Crawford.

Aya : Hn.

Schuldich : Aya says you shouldn't be such a prick, Brad. He's right.

Aya : *deathglares at Schu* 

Schuldich : ^_^ Calling names doesn't hurt and neither does Aya's glare.

Aya : *takes out katana*

Schuldich : o.O; I'm out of here! Enjoy the next chapter!

* 

Chapter note : Physical contact (-_-; took me only eleven chapters to have them *touch* eachother, go me!)

**********

Seto looked up, frowning. He had only found one towel, admittedly a very large one, but still ...

"Thanks." Joey snatched it out of his hand, either too eager to get dry again to wait for Seto to give it to him or because he simply lacked any sense of good manners, which seemed the likelier explanation to the scowling brunet.

"You can't have that one ; it's the only we have." he said irritably.

Joey ignored him, carelessly tossing his wet shirt into the sand after wringing it out. "So?"

"So *I* want it. I packed it after all. You could have brought your own." Seto sounded petulant, even to himself, which did little to improve his mood.

"Come and get it, if you dare." Joey grinned, knowing full well Seto disliked touching anybody.

Normally, Seto would have retaliated to that taunt verbally, using words to keep his distance.

Normally, Seto wouldn't even think about doing something the least undignified in such a public place as a beach.

Under the present circumstances though ...

"You're asking for it." he growled. And pounced.

*****

"Oh wow." Mokuba stared at the scene like he was hypnotized. "Oh wow."

He had marked a good observation-spot earlier, one that gave a perfect view on the place where Seto had dumped their stuff, yet allowed him to remain more or less hidden too.

The feel of something cold and wet sliding down his wrist reminded him of his ice-cream. Lapping at it absent-mindedly, without taking his eyes off his brother and Joey, he sighed.

"I guess that means I'm stuck here for a while. Ah well, at least they probably won't be mad at me anymore when they're finished. Likely they'll have forgotten the reason."

He giggled softly.

"If only I had brought a camera with me. Having a picture of this would be the perfect way to make sure Seto'd never send me to bed early ever again."

*****

_Oh gods, please don't let anyone recognize me or put this on tape or something._

Seto grabbed one corner of the towel and tried to yank it out of Joey's grip.

Joey grinned, shaking his wet hair. Small droplets of water landed on Seto's nearly dried skin

"Mine." Seto snarled, surprising himself again. Belatedly he gave a pull at the towel to emphasize what he was meaning. The towel. Not the boy he was lying on top of.

_"Are you really sure about that, Kaiba-boy? Because I seem to recall a certain dream ... "_

Images already forming before his mind's eyes, Seto trashed wildyl, trying to get away from Joey as fast as possible.

_I can't let him find out about those fantasies ..._

_Staying wet a little while longer won't kill me._

Unfortunately for Seto, Joey chose exactly that moment to fight back, flipping them over, effectively blocking his easiest route of retreat.

*****

"Mine." Seto's voice was a near groan when he spoke that single word. Not at all like his usual one, which was cold and flat, deadly threatening at times, but never like this.

It sent a shiver down Joey's spine.

_What the heck is *wrong* with me?_

_Why do I have this sudden urge to say "Yours"?_

_And then let him kiss me senseless and ..._

_Better not think about that._

_Even if it's pretty hard, with him pressing so close to me._

_Ah-ha. Idea. If I change our positions, I may be able to get out of this without seeming either a coward or a pervert._

It seemed his move took Seto by surprise, since the brunet hardly resisted.

Risking a glance at his face, Joey was slightly shaken by the look in Seto's eyes.

_Like ice on fire._

_Because of me._

_Can it be ... ?_

Almost unconscious of the gesture, he brought his head a bit closer to Seto's, until their noses nearly touched, all the while holding the other's gaze with his own.

_I wonder what he sees in my eyes. Do they show ... ?_

*****

"Momma? What are those two boys doing?"

A shrill voice prompted both Seto and Joey to turn their heads. A girl of about five years old was staring at them wide-eyed, her teddy-bear dangling in her right-hand, forgotten.

_That's a pretty good question._

_What *am* I doing?_

_What the hell do I think I'm doing?_

_In public. On a beach. With Mokuba around._

"Mokuba! We should go look for him!" Seto exclaimed, shoving Joey off of him.

"He's your brother, not mine. You can go." Joey grumbled, rising and brushing the sand off his body. The expression on his face was hidden by his blond hair as he bended down.

Firmly telling himself he had nothing to feel guilty about, Seto turned away.

~tbc I promise~


	12. Twelfth

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Kaiba/Joey, not many other characters except for Mokuba, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 13th july 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the eleventh chapter :

To Chys : Hm, as far as I know here's the only place this story's posted. Ah well, glad to hear you like it. Sorry about disappointing you.

Seto, Joey and Mokuba : Believe us, you weren't the only one. -_-;

Ehe. ^^; Don't expect anything better in the rest of this ; it's just not my strong point.

To Angel of Pure Darkness : I always keep my promises. Well, almost always.

Pegasus : Ah, finally a sensible person who puts the blame where it belongs ; with poor Kaiba-boy's own delusional mind. ^_^ 

Concerning your threat, I'm afraid you'll have to compete with Bakura for the right to do that ; for some reason he doesn't seem to like me. ^^;

Bakura : You made me chase away my hikari! ;_;

To Big Rikku Fan : *bangs head against keyboard* Once again I prove my complete ignorance concerning the world outside. -_-;

Mokuba : If it depended on me, which it doesn't, they'd kissed already. My guess would be it should happen within the next three chapters though. If we're lucky.

To Kaira-chan : Wow, thanks! ^_^

Mokuba : *grins* Hey, the sign only said you couldn't glomp Joey ; it said *nothing* about Jounouchi! Hehehe. And it's okay if you want to glomp my big brother ; he could use a good hug and since the author's denying him Joey ... *glares*

Anyway, just be careful not to glomp *Yami* and Seto at the same time ; they get along really bad and, believe me, you don't want to get caught up in the middle of them.

To Dillon : Well, I do hope your little sister isn't completely like the girl with teddy in this fic, since she has the dubious honor of being the character that annoyed me most in the serie aka Rebecca Hawkins in the dub.

Mokuba : *preens* Thank you! ^_^

Seto : *glares* How *dare* you suggest I'd ever harm my little brother?!?

To Rowan and Sakura : Personally I think Seto's cool and Yami's hot. *shrugs* Not sure which I prefer, though I think Seto's more fun to write.

Bakura *whines* : Am I not hot too? And my hair is much prettier! And softer to touch.

Seto : You prefer the poor son of an archaeologist who has an insane, sadistic spirit to watch over him to the CEO of a major corporation?!? That's ...

Joey : ... a sign of good taste. Hehehe. Money's not everything! Besides, Ryou's pretty good-looking and very nice.

Seto : o.O You like him better than me?!?

Joey : Uhm .... No?

Oh, and could you please give Ryou back? I hate to see Bakura cry, you know ...

Bakura : Foolish mortal! I am not crying for my weakling hikari! I'm glad to be rid of him! ^_^

Misura : *whacks Bakura* 

Bakura : Ouch! ;_;

See? He's crying his heart out, the poor guy.

To OoshatiElf : Well, since it's highly unlikely this story'll get another 11 chapters, you need not fear for that. 

Mokuba : What you do need to fear is an extremely prudish author. ^^;

I'm more into the mind-side of romance than the physical stuff. If we're lucky and I get the right muse to inspire me, they might actually kiss. *coughs* Sorry if my rating suggested otherwise.

To YumiYa : Rebecca says Teddy says she should say 'Thank you'. Glad you liked it!

To Kisakino Ookami : Rebecca says Teddy says you're not very nice. -_-;

Teddy : That's not true! Rescue me! And put that chainsaw away, it makes my stuffing go cold!

Oh, and I say 'thanks!'. 

To Difinity : Thank you! I'll do my best.

To Ieyre : *grins*

Seto : I have no idea what you're talking about.

Joey : Me neither.

Both : *gasp* We agree on something!

Mokuba : Well, that's a start I guess. ^_^

To ChibiSerenity3 : Thank you for the kind review, for you here is a chapter new. ^^;

Mokuba : Your rhyme was much better, but well, Misura's not much of a poet. ^_^;

Seto : *grumbles* Not much of an author either.

Joey : Once again, I agree.

To Ranma Higurashi : I count words *before* I add review-replies, so in theory all actual chapters should be about the same size, somewhere between 800 and 900.

Seto : That's a pretty wide range, you know.

*shrugs* But yeah, replies take quite some space in the recent chapters. Sorry if it bothers you.

Mokuba *darkly* : You said it *again*! Prepare to be banished to the Shadow Realm! Muhaha!

Bakura : o.O That kid stole my line!

To Ru-chan : *giggles* 

Mokuba : A genius like me can never be too smart! One day I'll rule the world. ^_^

Crawford : Highly unlikely. 

Schuldich : You tell him Brad! ^_^

Aya : I love you, Ken!

Ken : .... I don't believe you anymore. You preferred gutting Schuldich to saving me. ;_;

Farfarello : Awww, poor kittykat. Wanna hurt god with me? #_^

Ken : AAAYAAA! SAAAVE MEEEEEEE!

Aya : Let me brood and angst about this for a while.

Ken : ;_;

To Li : Hehehe, thanks!

Seto : *grumbles* They should forbid things like that on the beach!

To Junana107 : As soon as I get my Magical Staff of Author's Power back from Bakura, I promise!

Bakura : Muhahaha! Never!

To Duke's Girl : (Ooooh, I'm jealous! *coughs slightly embarrassedly* ^^;) Here it is! Thanks for the encouraging yell!

To Ancient Angel / Nikki : Wow, you have quite an interesting muse it sounds! Glad you found her again!

Bakura : I'll do whatever I want with my hikari!

Ryou : Oooh, 'Kura-koi, I love it when you pretend to be tough! ^_^ Now, be a sweet and go clean the dishes, will you?

Bakura : Yes, love. ^_^ .... I mean, hey! Why would I? What's going on here?

Mokuba : I think it's called Author's Note-randomness.

Hmm, interesting theory about Bakura ... might very well be true. ^_^

Bakura : Oh, and I wasn't trying to 'sell him off'. He was for free! *gets whacked* Ouch!

To Alithiel and Arlyssa : *drools over the keyboard* ^^; Thanks for the link!

Seto & Joey : We feel your pain, believe us, we really do.

To jess : Thanks for the encouragement! ^_^

To Lethe Seraph : Yup! I thought her kind of annoying in the serie so I cast her like this. Thank you very much for your kind words ; hope you'll enjoy this chapter too!

To Katsuki : ^_^ Thanks! I try to update once a week, mostly on Monday.

To Luke and Kieka SkyWolf : Thank you!

All : -_- Glad someone is enjoying our misery.

To Kyuugi and IIsha : Glad to hear you like it!

Bakura : IIsha, I totally agree with you! Every story without *me* in it can't be any good anyway.

Mokuba : Blood is icky! 

Seto : And Mokuba's much too young to be exposed to violence.

Joey : But not too young to see two guys trying *not* to ravish eachother? -_-;

Mokuba : Teehee! ^_^

Seto : Yes, he is. That's why we go home, you mutt! So that we can lock him in his room first!

Mokuba : o.O Uhm ... I don't think I want to go home right now ...

To Little Kaori solo Yuy-Maxwell : Thank you, I seem to be quite infatuated with this pairing for the moment. ^_^

Seto : All right, that's it! We're leaving right now! I want to ravish Joey in *private*!

Mokuba : *sly grin* So ... you admit you want to ravish him, eh?

Seto : .... Uhm, no?

To Yami Pain : Thanks for the encouragement!

To Escuro de la Lus : *sound of the authoress' unconscious body hitting the floor*

Mokuba : -_-; Why do people have bring that up?!? Uhm, I mean, of course, thank you for the info. I'll make sure Misura never ever gets to read that material, so that I may preserve my cute image. Lucky for me she saw the anime first. As to Seto, well, he's the same as Misura. If I ever want to get rid of him, maybe I should just let him read the manga and watch him die of a heart-attack. Muhahaha! ^_^

Seto : o.O

Mokuba : Hey, big brother, do you think I got my role for the play we're going to do at school down yet? I'm supposed to be a villain. ^_^

Seto : …. Yes, I think you're pretty convincing.

Mokuba : *glomps Seto* Awww, thank you! Buy me ice-cream? Pretty please? *puppy-eyes*

To Kami Beverly : Well, if I'd been a less romantic writer, I'd have woven the story of the voice in Kaiba's head in the story of the love between him and Joey.  Plus, I could just say 'I'm not going to tell you' instead of having characters make hints.

Seto : So, in short, you were apologizing for being a tease? -_-

Mokuba : And where's the romance?!? You break them apart all the time!

Joey : Glad you had fun reading. Now if only me and Seto'd get some 'fun' too …

Seto : I wouldn't count on it.

To Leaf Zelindor : Uhm, glad to hear you're revived again that quickly. ^^; 

Mokuba : Now you can read this chapter too. ^_^

Joey : That's supposed to be a good thing?!? -_- 

To Suppis Tenshi : *blushes* Wow, thanks! I love you too.

Mokuba : Oooh, how romantic! ^_^

Uhm … I mean I love reading your reviews, because they're always so nice. ^^;

Mokuba : *pouts* Ah well. I share your wish for a picture, but it's kind of hard to hide something like that in a dry place when you go to the beach. Fortunately I have some small security-cameras installed in the house so … ^_^

Seto : -_-; You're much too young for that, you know.

Mokuba : *pouts some more* They just make me *look* young, to preserve the powers of my cuteness. And to make sure Yugi's not the only short person in the series of course.

*

Chapter warning : Me being mean to Mokuba *hides in shame* ;_; 

**********

Scowling at the blond girl who had ruined his near-perfect set-up, Mokuba quickly got up from his hiding place and started strolling back to the two lovers-to-be.

_I *will* bring them together._

_Seto needs someone to rely on next to me._

_And they already like eachother, I can see it in their eyes._

_They're just too stubborn to admit it openly._

_But if they hadn't been interrupted, I'm pretty sure they'd have kissed eachother back there._

"Mokuba? What are you doing here?" Seto blinked, his face slightly flushed.

_Wondering how much of that little scene between you and Joey my innocent virgin eyes have been exposed to, big borther?_

"I wanted to ask if you two would like some ice-cream too." Mokuba smiled sweetly.

_Hmm, not the best excuse I could have used._

_I've already eaten way too much of that stuff the past few hours to want more of it._

Joey walked up to them, his expression still a little vulnerable and hurt. Seto emphatically ignored him which Mokuba took as another affirmation of his suspicions.

_They're such idiots, both of them!_

_Makes me want to smash their heads together to knock some sense into them._

_Or maybe just shove them a little, enough for their lips to meet ..._

_I'm sure they'd go simply fine on their own from there._

"I don't like ice-cream." Seto replied, in a tone he normally reserved for annoying employees that kept pestering him.

Mokuba turned his gaze expectantly to Joey, who stared down at his feet and the sand.

"Joey? What's wrong? Did something happen while I was gone?" 

"Nothing." Joey mumbled.

_And that's what's bothering you, isn't it? You wished something *had* happened, only it didn't so now you're afraid that maybe you'll never get a second chance._

Fighting down a sudden urge to hug the blond, Mokuba turned his attention to Seto again.

"The mutt's right for once. Nothing happened." Seto growled. 

_A bit frustrated, big brother? You shouldn't strike at me or Joey for that ; neither of us could help that kiss you wanted from not happening._

"It's late in the afternoon already ; I propose we go home now." Seto added.

Joey shrugged. "Fine with me."

Seto sent him a glare that told him the blond's opinion hadn't been asked for. Luckily, Joey didn't see it. Mokuba thought his brother had done more than enough damage for one afternoon already ; it would take him a lot of work to make up for that.

_Stupid Seto. Don't you realize what you're doing to him?_

"I agree with Joey." Mokuba declared with a hint of defiance.

"All right then. I think there's an ice-cream stand on the way to the parking place."

Mokuba managed to keep smiling. Barely.

_I know this is your way of saying sorry to me, big brother._

_Sorry for snarling at me, for hurting my feelings._

_But I'm not the only one you owe an apology._

_And I don't think *he* will recognize an offering of icecream for what it is._

_Him, you need to tell the actual words._

_Please do so, for all our sakes. _

*****

_I think I'm going to be sick._

Mokuba felt his stomach churm. Unfortunately, Seto seemed to have been feeling *very* guilty over his earlier words to his little brother, causing him to buy the biggest possible ice-cream for him. Complete with lots of chocolate.

_Without even offering Joey anything._

The blond still hadn't spoken a word since they had gotten into the car, in spite of Mokuba's effort to eat his ice-cream and start a conversation at the same time.

"Mokuba? Are you feeling all right?" Seto glanced at him sideways. There was still a hint of guilt in his eyes, prompting Mokuba to smile reassuringly.

"Of course. The beach was fun." he nodded.

_And could have been even more fun. If only ..._

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Seto replied.

_Even if you didn't, huh? Why can't you simply admit that?_

"Did you like it too, Joey?" Mokuba turned around to find the blond staring out of the window.

_Did you like it when my brother nearly kissed you?_

_I'm pretty sure you did, only sometimes I wonder if you're even aware of the attraction between you two. You seem so open, yet I think you're hiding quite a lot behind that carefree mask of yours. So like my brother._

Joey didn't answer.

They spend the rest of the trip in silence, with Mokuba fighting down his rising sickness.

As soon as they arrived home, he sprinted out of the car, to the bathroom, throwing up the icy contents of his stomach. Seto came running in a few seconds later, extremely worried, while Joey seemed to have hardly noticed anything and vanished to his room.

~tbc I promise~


	13. Thirteenth

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, not many other characters except for Mokuba, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 17th july 2003, by Misura

Sorry if the length of my review-replies is annoying. I add them the night before publishing the chapter ; shorter replies wouldn't mean longer chapters. Just scroll down to the starry line for the actual chapter.

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the twelfth chapter :

To JuniperMoon : Hmmm, I'm debating now whether or not I should read the manga after all.

Mokuba : *smiles palely* Thanks for the vote of confidence. And for liking the cute me. 

Seto : Hmm, I wonder which Joey I'd find less annoying.

To yuki44 : Yes, I feel very guilty about making Mokuba ill ...

Joey : She wasn't talking about that brat ; she meant me and Seto should get some romance!

Seto : *cold glare* *What* did you just call my beloved little brother, mutt?

... and delaying the romance. They're just so stubborn! ^^;

To Kaira-chan : Weeeell, with no incarnation of Joey around ... I don't know. They're both *screaming* dominance to me, making it hard to picture either of them being submissive or admitting his feelings in some way. Still, I'm sure there are good fics written about them.

To Angel of pure darkness (Angel and Tala) : Sorry for the shortness ; it was only three words above my minimum. Hope this one's better.

Pegasus : You think Seto's an ass? So that'd make the main-couple of this fic a puppy and a donkey ... how oddly appealing. Almost toonish. ^_^

To Difinity : Glad to hear/see you still smile after reading! Thanks!

To Xiaolang's Ying Fa : Wow, thank you! *beams*

Mokuba : There weren't any trees around on the beach. :( Besides, have you seen how *small* I am?!? How could I *ever* do something like that? 

To Ieyre : *eyes Seto and Joey-muses slightly enviously* Yours are lots cuter and easier to deal with than mine. Of course, I still wouldn't want to miss them ... guess I'm a bit weird. ^^;

To Sabby^_~ : Thanks!

To Ancient Angel : Glad to hear you like him. ^_^

Mokuba : *beams* I have my own fangirls! Just like my big brother! Yay! About the towel ... well, I know Seto loves Joey. And he loves *me* too. If *I*'d have forgotten my towel, he'd share his with me without a doubt. So I thought ... *sighs sadly* Never mind, I'll think of something else.

To Big Rikku fan : Cool but sad eh? Reminds me of a certain character ... I'll cheer him as well as you up soon I hope. :)

To ColeyCarissa : My muses have read your mind it seems. Have a little more patience!

To Tasan15 : I tried, but ... reviewreplies are written in a spur and not betaread. They have no influence on the length of the chapter. Less updates might accomplish longer chapters but ...

To Hyper Shaylee : I feel very honored ; hope you'll enjoy the rest as well.

Mokuba : ^_^ 

Joey *hugs himself* : I'm soooo cute! I'm sooo smart! I'm the smartest kid in the world!

Seto : -_- *whacks Joey* 

Mokuba : ^_^;

To Suppis Tenshi : I sometimes wonder if Yugi's so sweet *as opposed to* Yami or *because of* Yami ; would he be the same without the Puzzle? Or would his darker side have manifested as a real part of him instead, making him a more balanced person?

Seto *will* make up to Joey, without too much help from Mokuba even, this time. I decided to give the two of them a chance at it. *shrugs* If it doesn't work, Mokuba can always come up with something else. Though my muses are quite flutter-some ... maybe they'll succeed. ~.^

To shitsumon : Well, I decided to go and let them try without any manipulation for once ... Oh, and the previous chapter was 1300 words reply and 803 words story, not 2400. 

To OoshatiElf : Thank you! *beams* And it looks like it's going to be sooner ... :) Hope you like it.

To Aria Marier : I tried. Sorry and thanks.

To Dillon : o.O; Uhm ... yes, I don't think Seto should die. Glad you agree.

Bakura & Malik : We like your plan! Where are our sporks? *eagerly look around*

Joey : No one lays a finger on Seto but me! *Seto-death-glare*

Seto : Joey ... you care about me? *glomps Joey* ^_^ I love you too!

Bakura : Flattering me about my looks will not gain you my forgiveness for insinuating I would ever love anybody else but my hikari! Whom I do not love at all, of course but ... uhm ... RYOU! Come back! I don't have any children! ;_; 

To TY : Thanks. Here it is. :)

To Kyuugi and IIsha : Let's see ... I think I have planned both a hug and a kiss some time ...

Bakura : I wouldn't want to be in this story ; I don't like to share you know. Plus, the sweetness of these three makes me more than a little sick. I prefer the sweetness of blood. Muhaha!

Ryou : Helloooo, 'Kura-koi! I'm hoooome! And I have a present for you! ^_^ *hands over box*

Bakura : Ooooh, what is it? A whip? A new knife? What, what, what? *rips paper and opens box* Yeeeees! Chocolates! And a cute plushie! *glomps Ryou and feeds him half a chocolate* I love you, hikari! You're so cute! [remaining actions are censored]

To Awaken Sorrow : Thanks for the encouragement!

To Alithiel and Arlyssa : ^^; Don't worry ; it survived. It's drool-proof by now. ;)

To Katsuki : It's not them ; it's me. *starts crying* I keep writing them apart. I hope to make amends soon though. ;_; 

To Ranma Higurashi : Glad to hear so! ^_^

Mokuba : *makes dramatic gesture* Foolish mortal! You asked for this! I will fulfill my threat!

[nothing happens]

Mokuba : .... ;_; Why do I have to be the only villain without super-powers? Not fair!

To Karre : Thank you very much!

Pegasus : Yeeeesssss! I have fans too! Justice *does* exist! ^_^

Mokuba : *pouts* Misura says I have to stay in my room to 'give them some opportunity'. She'll give me the pixie-stick only *after* they kissed! That could take *ages*! ;_;

To Rowan and Sakura : Hmmm, if all fanfic-authors and fangirls wouldn't be well known to be poor, I'd say you could make a fortune with that cloning-machine.

Seto : I have the exclusive rights to the image of my little brother. Don't you dare to clone him, or my lawyers will see to your utter ruin!

Yami : ^_^ You're right! A Pharaoh is much better than a thirteen-in-a-dozen CEO.

Joey : You're insulting my taste!

Bakura : *carries off Ryou to do some of those things I won't write about* ^_^

To Gangsta Videl : *glares at ff.net some more* Ah well, at least you tried. :)

Seto : My brother won't ever need to work ; he'll live in luxury without any obligations. It's what I worked for all my life.

Mokuba : Uhm ... thanks! But I'm not sure if I'd be as good with strange people.

To Mel Gods : Of course he could! This once though, they'll get a shot at it on their own.

To Escuro de la Lus : Mokuba knows what's good for his brother. And Joey'll get something to cheer him up soon! ^_^ (hint : starts with an S, ends in an O)

Mokuba : *turns slightly green* No thanks.

To Kami Beverly : I agree. I try to prevent it, sorry if I failed.

To ChibiSerenity3 : Thanks for the encouragement!

To mirrowlin : 'Yet' is the right word. Hehehehe. I finally got my romance-muses to drop by.

To Ru-chan (Ru and Rui) : Hmm, can I have the recipe of those cookies? ^^; I think Mokuba's illness may well be the result of a combination of factors.

Crawford : ;_; Aya doesn't love me anymore! I have no reason to live!

Schuldich : There, there, big, bad assassins don't cry! *pats Crawford*

Crawford : Schuschu ... would you do something for me?

Schuldich : Anything to make my Braddie-bear smile again!

Crawford : *dries tears and goes back to work* Go and kill Siberian, will you?

Schuldich : ..... *chibifies and bursts out crying* You don't love me! Waaaaaah!

To nekocin : *sighs* Thanks, I'll write it down somewhere. Seeing the logic behind grammar's not my best point. Ah well, hope this chapter cheers you up a bit! :)

To Leaf Zelindor (Leaf and Wing) : Thanks!

Joey : *puppy eyes* Really? Reallyreallyreallyreally? ^_^ I knew it! Yay!

To The Chaotic Ones (Angel, AAries and Chaos) : Thanks. I like the movie-idea, though I won't use it in this fic. Too little time left ...

To bladegryphon : I love writing them too ; glad to hear you enjoy the fic so far!

Chapter warning/note : The muses have decided the time has come to start wrapping up this story and get romantic. Not sure how many chapters it'll take but ...

**********

"Really, big brother, I feel just fine." Mokuba assured Seto, who immediately shook his head.

"I want you to stay in bed for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, if you're better then, you can get up again and do something not too tiring or exciting."

"But - "

"End of discussion. Call me when you need anything and try to sleep some. I don't want you to get ill. I love you." Pressing a kiss to Mokuba's forehead, Seto left the room, softly closing the door behind him, as if a loud sound would be fatal to his little brother's health.

_Why can you say that so easily to me, but not to the person who truely needs to hear that?_

Mokuba sighed. 

_Of all the times to be trapped in my room ..._

_Now what am I going to do? _

_Joey seems to be completely caught up in his own depressive thoughts, while Seto's never been the person to break the ice. Plus he's probably in a lousy temper because of me._

_Without me around, they may end up hurting eachother even more._

_I'm never ever going to eat ice-cream again, I swear._

Grabbing a comic to read, Mokuba got out of bed to sit down at his desk. He wasn't tired yet, and if Seto'd come to check on him, he could simply jump back in again.

For some reason, his brother was an incredible fuss when it came to Mokuba ; this wasn't the first time he'd been tucked in to 'rest and recover' while nothing was wrong with him.

_Silly Seto._

*****

A few hours and a great many yawns later found Mokuba soundly asleep, his raven-haired head resting on his folded arms, slumped in his chair.

Light brown eyes gazed at him in a mix of disappointment and amusement, before strong arms lifted the small boy up, depositing him in the bed where he belonged.

"Well, since I can't ask you for advise about Seto, I guess I'll just have to make do, huh?" Joey whispered softly. "Sweet dreams, Mokuba."

Silently exiting the room and descending the stairs, the blond walked into the livingroom. Seto was sitting in a comfortable chair, seemingly completely absorbed in his book.

_Probably the same one he was reading before, on the beach._

Joey plopped down on the couch nearby, feeling free to study the other, since Seto obviously didn't notice anything in his environment at the moment and the cover of his book was blocking his sight on the rest of the room.

_Must be pretty interesting._

Edging a little closer to the reading brunet, Joey tried to peek at the title of this book that was holding Seto so captivated.

*****

_I shouldn't have come here. I should have gone to my office instead._

The closer Joey came to him, the harder Seto found it to pretend he didn't notice.

After having seen Mokuba safely to bed, he had decided he probably wouldn't be able to concentrate on work anymore today. Thus, he had dropped down in his favorite chair to think about what had happened that afternoon. 

_Big mistake. I want to forget about that, not relive it over and over again._

When he had heard Joey's footsteps coming closer, he had quickly grabbed a book to pretend he was actually doing something.

_I'm not going to let that mutt know how badly he's gotten to me._

_Seto Kaiba does not mope about._

He wished he had discovered he was holding the book upside down again before Joey had started studying him. Then at least he'd have had something to distract him from those dark honey-colored eyes that kept gazing at him.

_What does he think he's doing? What does he want from me?_

_Is it because ... ?_

_Can I allow myself to hope ... ?_

Seto bit down on his lip, angry at the direction his thoughts were taking.

_No. He broke away._

_He could have kissed me ; I made it clear I'd have let him, but he didn't want to._

_Mokuba was wrong. Of course ; he's just a kid. How could he know about things like love?_

"Seto ... " Joey started, his voice sounding a bit odd.

_At least he hasn't gone back to calling me Kaiba._

" ... you are aware that you're holding that book with the wrong side up?"

*****

"Yeah, so what about it?" Seto snarled.

Joey blinked.

_Geez, he's in a bad temper. I wonder why. _

_Mokuba seemed fine when I last saw him ; probably only ate that ice-cream a little too fast._

"Well, most people read it the other way." Joey replied sarcastically. "Maybe because it's easier like that? Of course you're free to do it the hard way. Fits your style totally."

Seto growled. "What's *that* supposed to mean?!?"

Joey shrugged. "Just that you seem to like making things harder for yourself than they are. You're always seeing problems and insults where there aren't any."

He was able to duck barely in time to dodge the book that came flying his way.

~tbc I promise~


	14. Fourteenth

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, not many other characters except for Mokuba, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 20th july 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the thirteenth chapter :

To Kami Beverly : ^^; Won't use it again this fic, promise! It just seemed so very convenient ...

To Ranma Higurashi : I did my best, as usual. :)

To Aria Marier : Uhm, they're actually supposed to seem in love and denial, not really stupid.

Mokuba : It's the right word though. Even if it's a little bit insulting. ~.^

To Rowan and Sakura : *grins* Hmmm, what about if they do it 'spontaneously'? Without any interference from Mokuba?

Mokuba : Yeah, right, like that's going to happen. You spent thirteen chapters of this fic telling how they couldn't figure it out by themselves and now they just go and kiss eachother all of a sudden? Does the word 'consistency' mean anything to you?

Pegasus : Well, they *are* consistent in being in love, ne? Works for me! ^_^

To Angel of pure darkness (Angel and Tala) : Glad to hear you like it so much! And I also take promises seriously ; here's the new chapter. :)

To The Chaotic Ones : Your wish is my command. :)

Pegasus : Or rather : what you asked for was in the plot anyway. ^_^;

To ty : Pleas refrain from cursing me. It has a bad influence on my inspiration. ^^;

To Escuro de la Lus : Thank you! *coughs* Nice to hear I'm not the only one who does that on occasion ... ^^;

Mokuba : Well, you could say Seto's worries about me shut out the voice for a while. And while I'm near him, he never hears it anyway, for some reason.

Seto : Of course an equally likely explanation is that the authoress simply forgot about him. Your pick.

To Katsuki : We're going there, slow, I admit, but steady. :)

To Kiawna : A compromise? Not very less talk, but they do get to kiss? ^^;

To Mel Gods : Hmm, I think I'll make both of them a little more confident. That should work nicely too, don't you think?

To Big Rikku fan : Oh, I've written my share of instant-love-fics with these two. It's just so hard to keep them apart while they can be so kawaii together. ^^; This is my longest so far.

To Difinity : Your wish is my command. Especially since I want them to kiss too. ~.^

To Alithiel and Arlyssa : Actually, they're not that far anymore. Because, well, *I* can't stand keeping them apart.

Mokuba : Thanks for your sympathy! Guess I'll stick with candy and cookies for a while. ^_^

To Ru-chan (Ru and Rui) : Awww, you lost the recipe? ;_;

Muses : *sigh with relief at no longer being in any danger of being chibified*

I just love to bring out the brotherly side in Seto ; glad you liked it too.

To OoshatiElf : *beams* Thank you!

To L@DyFiCtIoN : Thank you very much ; hope you'll find lots of other stories to your liking out there. Glad I culd convey some of my liking for this couple! ^_^

To Tsuki Ryuu (Michiko and Yami Michiko) : Glad to hear you didn't start hating this story all of a sudden. ^^; I must say I like Seto-in-trenchcoat too. It just has that something ....

Joey : Thanks for the plushies! ^_^ Though I really want to glomp and get glomped by the real one, these will at least keep me warm at night and not call me names.

To mirrowlin : Your subtle hint has been taken notice of. Thanks! ^_^

To Ancient Angel (Nikki and Montana) : Well, I guess there have been *some* similarities ; he does try to set them up. He's not going to pose as Shizuka though. ^^; And in the end ....

Mokuba : [removed for spoilers]! *grumbles* *blows kiss back* Thanks for not stalking me. You're the best kind of fangirls! ^_^ Now, could you convince Misura to let me out of my room?

Pegasus : Montana? Would you happen to be an adventurer with his own airplane?

To Suppis Tenshi : Hmmm *looks pensively*

-in her mind-

Joey : *gets hit by book* Ouch! ;_; _Why does he have to hate me so much?_

Seto : *feels 'inexplicably' guilty* S-sorry. *reaches out to see how bad it is, brushing aside Joey's blond hair* _Hmmm, his hair's really nice and soft._

Joey : *notices how close their mouths are* That's okay. _What the hell, I'll just do it. _

Seto : *gets kissed by Joey, kisses back* _This is much better than in my dreams. I should have -_

-end mindflash-

Nah, that'd have brought the romance on too easy. ^^;

Yami : Thanks for nudging her to write a story about *me* the star of the show.

To Lethe Seraph : I agree with you. And maybe they do so too ; you'll see soon enough. Thanks!

To Firewing : *whimpers*

Pegasus : There, there, nobody's perfect. Except Seto-kun, of course. How *dare* you speak so insultingly about his intelligence?!? I'm pretty sure *you* could never invent the things *he* did.

To Sophia2 : No kiss yet ; but it's coming soon, no matter how hopeless things may look at the end of this chapter. Consider it the rain before the sunshine. ^^;

To Jubei Yamato : Here's more! ^_^

To Kisakino Ookami : I will tell her you were sorry but … not that other thing. Consider what it would do to Yami! (All right, so you're right about the size. ^^;) Thanks!

To Kyuugi and Iisha : *grins* Yes, and Seto doesn't like anyone else but him teasing Joey too. He's possessive that way. ^.~

To QueenV : Thank you! *beams*

Pegasus : *Three* main-characters. I pop up in the epilogue only.

One question *coughs* what is UST? I uhm, really don't know. I hope it isn't something bad … ^^; 

Chapter note : Serenity Wheeler is referred to by her Japanese name Shizuka.

**********

"What the heck is *wrong* with you?!" Joey yelled, jumping up.

Seto sent him another death-glare, which once again miserably failed to kill the blond, or even scare him off a little.

_"Want to see what happens when you tell him he's cute when he's mad at you?"_

_No. Besides, he's not. He looks stupid, powerless._

_"You have no appreciation for the beauty in front of you."_

"If it were your sister up there, would you like people acting all cheerful around you like nothing was wrong? I want you to leave me alone!" Seto managed.

_"Is that so? Wouldn't you rather have him kiss you and make it all better?"_

Joey opened his mouth to reply Mokuba was just fine, last time he saw the kid, then decided against it ; Seto probably wouldn't like to hear he'd been anywhere near his little brother right now. Instead, he contemplated the question.

*****

_If Shizuka'd be ill ... I'd be prickly too, yes._

_But not this bad. Of course, I also have my parents and friends to talk to._

_While Seto only seems to have Mokuba ... kind of sad._

_It must be hard on both of them._

_Shizuka's a great sister but ..._

Joey frowned. "How do you know I have a sister? You've never seen her, and I'm pretty sure I haven't told you about her."

_Like you never told me about Mokuba ..._

Seto made a dismissive gesture. "What does it matter? I probably heard from one of your 'friends'." He spat out the last word, as if the taste of it was unpleasant.

_No wonder he doesn't have any._

_Still, maybe he's not as bad as he sounds now ..._

_Not maybe ; I *know* he can be nice. I saw him this morning._

_Is Mokuba really the only one who can bring out that side of him?_

"At least I have people care about me for who I am." Joey shot back. "Instead of because they're related to you."

*****

It was, Seto reflected, really too bad his glares couldn't shut up this annoying mutt.

The suggestion Mokuba only stuck with him because they were brothers was ...

_Well, I know I'm not good enough for him._

_Mokuba's a wonderful and gentle person, while I ..._

_But he loves me. As much as I love him._

_Everything I do is for him._

_"Are you truely that unselfish, Kaiba-boy? Aren't you deceiving yourself just a wee little bit here?"_

"Mokuba knows me like no one else does or ever will." Seto stated icily. "He knows I'd let him go live elsewhere if he wanted to."

_Because I care about his happiness._

_"Enough to sacrifice your own? That's what letting him leave would mean, you know."_

"And why do so few people know you, huh?" Joey inquired, an expression of mock-confusion on his face. "Oh, might it have something to do with the fact that you're constantly pushing people away? Or is that another stupid idea from a mere mutt?"

"I didn't push you away! *You* shoved *me* away!" Seto protested sharply, the events of that afternoon once again replaying in the back of his head.

_"Ah, the sting of rejection. Rattling, isn't it? To realize someone doesn't want you?"_

*****

Joey didn't have the slightest idea what Seto was talking about.

_What does he mean : I pushed him away?_

_I *tried* to reach out to him all the time, *tried* to find someone nice behind that cold mask._

_Someone I could justify loving._

"That's not true. I didn't do anything like that." Joey shook his head.

His denial did little to calm down Seto. "At the beach, you moron! When we ... "

_... nearly kissed?_

_He thought I ..._

_While I was sure he ..._

_Damn._

" ... fought over a towel?" Joey suggested. "I'm sorry about that."

_Yeah, they shouldn't let five-year olds run around on the beach like that, sticking their noses into things that are none of their business._

*****

_He's sorry ... sorry he almost let me kiss him._

_Sorry he led me on perhaps, letting me believe a pretty lie._

"I don't want your apologies." Seto snarled. "They don't change a thing."

_"Apologies rarely do. They *always* come after the harm is already done."_

"They're all I can give you." Joey replied, something of regret in his voice.

Seto wondered why he wasn't angry anymore, where his earlier rage had slipped to.

"I don't want your pity either." _Go. Away._

Joey flinched. "Seto ... "

_I don't want to listen to him anymore._

"We'll be leaving tomorrow, if Mokuba feels better. You can go home then too."

Picking up the book, he walked to the door.

~tbc I promise~


	15. Fifteenth

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, not many other characters except for Mokuba, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 24th july 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the fourteenth chapter :

To devilburns : Thanks! :)

To Aria Marier : *looks sheepishly* Sorry. Thanks for the feedback ; I'm afraid this chapter's less 'substantial' than the previous one, but I hope you'll enjoy it a little nonetheless.

To Kumorimisora : Uhm ... sorry? I hope you'll like this chapter's ending a little better. ;)

To L@DyFiCtIoN : Ehe, well, it's not my fault their characters collide all the time. As to the making up part ... *grins mischievously* read and find out! :)

To Difinity : Hope you'll come back amongst the living to read this chapter. And that you'll like this chapter's ending of course. :)

To ME. ^^ : Well, I just get carried away a little sometimes. Sorry if it bothers you. Thanks! 

To Mika Moto-Asakura : Well, I love reading and have a lot time to do so. That helps I think. ^^;

To Big Rikku fan : Not even one week? Hope you'll enjoy this chapter too. :)

To Kiawna : Hmmm, confusing? Sorry about that, glad you liked it anyway. Hope this one's clearer ; it's supposed to be like that anyway. ^^;

To Kyuugi and IIsha : *plucks a candyheart out of her hair that says 'Hey you!'* Hehe, as long as it's a good book, I don't care. ^^; But thanks for the plushies and the candy. I'll be sure to give some to the guys. The results might be ... interesting. Hehehe. ^^;

To Lethe Seraph : Thanks, I did my best on this one. :)

Seto : 'Be good'?!? Who do you think I am, that you can tell me to 'be good'?!?

Mokuba : ^^; She's right though, big brother. If you'd behave, things would go much better!

To Kaira-chan : You wouldn't do that, would you? How could I write if I'd have to run for my life? *smiles tentatively* Don't worry ; I promised they'd end up happy and together. :)

To Angel of pure darkness (Angel and Tala) : Well, I can't promise Seto won't leave in the morning ... *but* that doesn't mean they won't get together. 

To Tsuki Ryuu (Michiko and Yami Michiko) : I'm afraid Mokuba will remain in his room for the remainder of the main-fic.

Joey : Seto really likes me? Wai! *storms after Seto to go and glomp him* ^_^

They're going to see the light though, don't worry. This story's Romance, not Tragedy.

To Mel Gods : *beams* You're very welcome! It's nice to hear someone *not* yelling at me to update soon. As to the 'voice', well, all the clue I can give you is that it doesn't show up when Mokuba's near and that Pegasus so far has denied all guilt. ^^;

To Syn : Thanks! Glad to hear this fic managed to pique your interest. :)

To Xiaolang's Ying Fa : *nods obediently, powerless to the Puppy Eyes of Doom* Yes, they will kiss and make out, uhm I mean up. ^^; Sorry for that slip of the tongue.

Seto : -_-; Wishful thinking? Loss of sanity? Getting too hentai?

To MyOwnShukuun (Jack, Kiara and Orion) : Thanks! Glad you don't mind the overdose of emotion and/or the lack of real action. Hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well.

To Ancient Angel (Nikki and Montana) : Thank you! ^_^

Pegasus : ;_; Sorry! How was I to know you were a girl? They never let me get outdoors anymore! All I can do all day is watch toons. The only Montana I knew before was a 'he', kind of like Indiana Jones. And what's worse, being obsessed with a rabbit or with a mutt?

Seto : Hey! 

Pegasus : ^_^ Anyway, what's wrong with watching Funny Bunny? He's fuuuunny! Teehee! Besides, aren't you girls reading about guys falling in love with eachother instead of other nice girls like you? Doesn't that make you weird too? *I*'m just getting in touch with my inner child.

To Ranma Higurashi : I did my best.

Joey : Poor *Seto*?!? What about *me*?!?

To Ru-chan (Rui and Ru) : *smell of cookies fills the house* Thank you sooo much! Now all I have to do is go find my muses back. Except for Mokuba and Omi they all fled. ^^; Those already are chibis, so ... Ah well. I can always nibble on them myself. They do smell nice you know ....

Seto : *prying ChibiMisura off his leg* Uhm, thanks for the recipe, is there an antidote? And I'm perfectly sane too, thank you very much.

Mokuba : Yes, you're just mad about Joey. Heeee! ^_^

To OoshatiElf : Yes, rest assured that it will be romance. Soon, I promise. ^^;

To Katsuki : Thank you very much for the encouragement! :)

To Kami Beverly : Seto is not a nice person. Sorry.

To Dark-tyrell : Today.

To Suppis Tenshi : I wouldn't want to have your hair on my conscience, so, uhm, I solemnly promise they'll have some sense get to them soon. Not exactly knocked though, it's more like [removed for spoilers]. Glad to hear the inner thoughts thingies didn't bore you or something. ^_^

To Dillon : *giggles*

Seto : o.O Eeeep! *turns around to run, bumps into Joey, since Mokuba tripped him*

Mokuba : Oooops! ^_^

Joey : Seto! I love you too! Don't worry ; I'll protect you from Bakura and Marik! ^_^

To Alithiel and Arlyssa : Wow, thank you very much! *beams*

Mokuba : Yay! No icecream! ^_^ .... Why are you looking at me like that?

To Rowan and Sakura (and Shippo) : Well, the argueing does get them to [removed for spoilers] so it's not all bad. Fluff might come next chapter ... maybe. Probably. Likely.

Bakura : *I* can resist Ryou's puppy eyes. It's easy! Weakling hikari ...

Ryou : *puppy eyes* Kiss me, hug me, glomp me and cook dinner for me? ^_^

Bakura : ..... Yes, Ryou. ^_^ 

Joey : ;_; Why doesn't that work for me? With Seto constantly calling me a 'puppy' I should be able to use pupp-eyes on him too!

To Temptress Nagisa : Thank you! I probably won't take you up on the offer, but it was very kind of you. :)

To Lizzalo : Well, here's more. It's not quite done yet still, but …

To Firewing : Sorry if you think my vchapters are inadequate. ^^; Yes, Seto does seem to be a lot less eager to keep having Joey around all of a sudden, ne?

To BluBre3zeDr4g0nWing : Wow, thanks for the long review (and the lessons in japanese!). Don't worry, they'll get together soon. Real soon. *grins* ~.^

To Sophia and Sophie : Don't worry, everything's going to be all right. Would I dare end it any other way? ^_^;

To FearlessAngel4592 : I will, I will. tbc means 'To Be Continued', so it was kind of meant to reassure you there was indeed going to be an update. ^_^

To QueenV : Thanks for the explanation. 

Mokuba : Yes, yes, become one of my fangirls too! I'll give you … uhm, something nice? ^_^

Pegasus : Surely you don't really believe that voice in Seto's head has anything to do with *me*?!? Please don't desert me! ;_; 

Chapter warning : One very, very unlikely accident. (But it's so convenient!) ^^;

**********

"Wait!"

Ignoring both Joey's plea and his outstretched hand, Seto continued on his way.

_After tomorrow, I'll make sure I never have to see his face again, except at Duels._

_I was a fool in thinking he might return my feelings, in setting up our 'accidental' meeting._

_Though it did serve in showing me the truth._

_I guess it wasn't all for nothing then._

Completely forgetting he was supposed to be quiet for Mokuba, Seto stomped down the hallway to the sanctuary of his own room.

In a distant corner of his mind he registered someone following him, yet he was too absorbed in his own dark thoughts to pay much attention to his environment.

_Perhaps I'm lucky and he'll have left by the time I wake up next morning._

_That way, this mess might all seem like nothing but a bad dream._

_Mokuba will be there ; maybe we can go to the beach again._

_Just the two of us this time. Like we've always been and always will be._

*****

Mokuba moaned and buried his head under his pillow as the loud sounds of angry footsteps woke him up, confirming his worst fears.

_Seto is very angry. I wonder what happened between him and Joey._

_And how I'm going to fix it, with what little time we have left here._

Then he heard a second set of footsteps, softer and seemingly more intent on catching up with his big brother than on making holes in the floor to express his annoyance.

_That must be Joey._

Mokuba allowed himself a small smile.

_Maybe things aren't so bad then._

_Neither of them is really stupid ; they're just very stubborn and oblivious._

*****

Joey had no idea what he was doing, running after someone who had made it abundantly clear his company was not desired like he did. Or why he was doing it.

_But I do know I have to do this._

_Because if I do nothing, I may never get another chance._

_If only he wouldn't walk so damn fast!_

Seto opened a door, apparently having reached his destination. Before it could fall shut again, his blond pursuer sprinted through the door-opening as well.

Since Seto had halted though, this sent Joey crashing into the surprised brunet, who let out a yelp when they both fell to the bed. Seto managed to twist around in mid-air somehow, in a belated attempt to see who had dared to bump into him, thus ending up on his back with a slightly dazed Joey on top of him.

_Uh oh. This wasn't exactly what I'd planned or hoped for._

_Ah well, at least I have his undivided attention now._

_Without him being able to walk out on me again._

_So in fact, this isn't so bad._

_Now, if only I can keep my mind out of the gutter and on to the important matters._

Seto wriggled a little, either trying to get Joey off of him, or attemptng to get on top himself, Joey had no idea. It was distracting him, anyway.

_Uhm ... what *were* those important matters again?_

*****

_This seems familiar._

Seto swallowed, staring up into amber eyes, hazed over with an emotion he wasn't sure he recognized. He had never seen it before in Joey's gaze, that much he did know.

_I wished he'd say something, explain why he followed me._

_Tell me what he wants from me, what it'll take to have him leave me alone._

_"Wouldn't you rather know what it'd take for him to never leave you alone again?"_

_Shut up._

"Joey ... " he started, hating the way his voice trembled a little, as if he wasn't in control anymore.

_"Are you then? You sure managed to hide it well."_

_I am always in control of myself and the situation around me._

_"You're a control-freak yes. You *wished* you were in control all the time. Only you're not."_

_I could make him go away right now. I *could*. Easily._

_"Why don't you then?"_

_Because ..... because I don't want to._

_"Why not?"_

_Because ..... I am in love with him?_

_"Hah. About time you admitted that. You're slow, Kaiba-boy. Slow, as well as clumsy. You'd nearly let him slip through your fingers."_

"This position seems familiar, doesn't it?" Joey remarked.

"The beach ... " Seto managed, finding himself slightly out of breath.

_Where we almost kissed, would have kissed if you hadn't pulled away._

_Are you going to do that to me again ; make me think you answer my feelings while in fact you're just playing with them?_

_Do you enjoy that, making fun of me and showing me the power you hold over me?_

_Why can't I read your eyes?_

~tbc I promise~


	16. Sixteenth

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, not many other characters except for Mokuba, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 28th july 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the fifteenth chapter :

To Devilburns : Did my best.

To Angel of Pure Darkness (Angel and Tala) : Well, no more cliffhangers in this story after this chapter! ^_^ Hope that'll allow you to finish with a good feeling!

To Chronicles Bailey : ^^; Wow, thanks!

To Anirin : Thank you very much! (Is your name elvish? Just curious ^^;)

To Tasan15 : You will, you will! ^_^

To Kaira-chan : No interferences, no little girls (or boys) walking in this time. ^_^ So you can put that pitchfork away now, okay? ^_^;

To Mae Crawford : First, *gulps* they will, they will, no need to give me a sunburn! ^^; Second :

Pegasus : Yeeeeeessss! Finally someone who supports me! ^_^ I do have fangirls! Thanks for the plushie too ; it makes a great addition to my collection, even if, of course, it can't compare to my beloved Funny Bunny plushies.

Third, as long as they're not my muses, they're free game. Approach them at your own risk. ^^;

To Aria Marier : Thank you very much ; glad to hear it! ^_^

To Suppis Tenshi : Hope you had a good vacation! Well, maybe Joey can be a bit clumsy at times, but I'm not intending to let him mess things up this time. I have feelings too you know, and combined with my authoress powers, I'll make sure everything goes well. Or reasonably well anyway ; these two can make a mess out of anything. ^_^;

To L@DyFiCtIoN : Yes, I am a bit of a tease. Though mostly, I just ran out of time to write. ^^;

To Hidden : Thank you for the encouragement!

To Hawksister (Shadowdancer and Winddance) : Yes, all of my stories have happy endings (well, most of them, anyway).  *accepts a cookie* Thank you!

To Zello : *laughs nervously* Kiss? What kiss? ^^;

To QueenV : Glad to hear you like it so much. ^_^

Seto : *glares* Did you have to tackle my little brother? He could get hurt!

Mokuba : ^_^ He's just a little jealous.

Pegasus : Ah, finally someone who loves me for who I am! ;_; I'm so touched!

To Ru-chan (Ru and Rui) : *bursts out into giggles* ^^; No cliffhanger-ending this time. Awww, Aya and Ken are so cute! *chibifies*

Seto : Hmm, I was going to offer you my lab, but I think it might be best if you keep your experiments at your own home.

Omi : I happen to have access to the security-codes of a very advanced research-lab, if you don't mind having to work at night? Oh, and some results of previous experiments done there walk around there, but they're quite harmless, mostly. I think it'd be a great place to continue your research. ^_^

Schuldich : Kitten, you have a streak of calculated meanness in you after all. I'm so proud of you! ^_^

To Rowan and Sakura : In the rule, I update BEBE on Monday, 'Theft of heart' on Tuesday, 'Not what you want' on Wednesday and my short S/J fic on Friday. ^^; (Yes, I am a pretty obsessive writer). And yes, every fangirl rules her own world(s).

Seto : I'm still not confused. I just haven't made up my mind yet.

Joey : Yeah, right. Well, I'm tired of waiting for you! 

To Leaf Zelindor : Yup, I loved picturing them like this. ^^; Thank you!

To FearlessAngel4592 : It's the Law of Fanfics that have More than One part. Chapters have to end somewhere. Plus, my muses are pretty sadistic so they leave me at the worst of times. ^^;

To Gangsta Videl : Hmm, perhaps an over-exposure to Farfarello-chan? ^_^;  

To The Chaotic Ones (AAries, Angel and Chaos) : One kiss, coming up. ^^; Thanks for the encouragement!

To LunaCatt99 : Thank you!

To Lightning Sage : Thank you very much for the encouragement! ^_^

To Lethe Seraph : Yup, I had a lot of fun picturing it too. ^_^;

To Dillon : Nice to hear accidents like this one do happen on occasion. ^_^ 

Seto : You are *so* dead! *tries to get up, only Joey's still on top and stops him so he falls back* Ack! Just you wait!

Joey : *kisses him senseless so that he forgets about what you said* ^_^

Seto : Hmmm, I think I could get to like not being on top all the time. ^_^

To lostlover1 :  ;_; Nani?

Bakura : How dare you upset the authoress by accusing her falsely? She updated every week, faithfully, since she got back at the 16th of August! You .. you …

Ryou : You were wrong. Please don't make a habit out of accusing people of crimes they haven't committed. ^_^

To Tsuki Ryuu  (Michiko and Yami Michiko) :  Seto does have a rather dominating streak in his character, doesn't he? ^_^;

Joey : Control-freak! Well, this time it's going to be different! … Or not?

To Lizzalo : ^_^ Thank you!

To Astarya : -_- Tell the fire ants to get in line, after a whole lot of other horrors awaiting me … unless I updated. Which I did. Phew! Saved again! ^_^;

To Difinity : Well, I'm not sure if I can write a good kiss. I'm not exactly experienced … *blushes crimson* Ehehehe. ^^; Thanks!

To Mel Gods : Yes, your guess was correct ; the time has come for these two to see the light. ^_^ 

Seto : And then maybe I'll finally be free of this story! ^_^

Joey : And then I'll live happily ever after with my Seto-chan! ^_^

Pegasus : And then I … I …. ;_;   

Thank you very much!

To Escuro de la Lus : Hmm, I think Seto could relate to your feelings very well. ^_^;

Seto : What do you mean? I only want to strangle Joey. No wait, I want to kiss him. Or no, I …

To Katsuki : Hehehe. Read and find out!

To Mika Moto-Asakura : (Who's your second second name from, if I may ask?) Hmm, that would mean I could only go downwards from here? That doesn't sound very good … Thanks! ^_^

To Ieyre : Not me, is it? I hope not … but I updated, just in case. ^^;

To Cazzy123 (and Yami) : You have a very nice yami sometimes ; hope the addition to this story will be to your liking! ^_^

To Korie : Slow, but steady, so to speak. ^_^; Thank you!

To Ooshati Elf : Ehehehe, I think Bakura's claimed that title already. Here's more!

To Ranma Higurashi : I did my best. ^_^

To Big Rikku Fan : Thanks for amending that first line! Of course they're going to kiss now ; would I dare not to let them? ^-^;

To Yami Pain : You know I can't resist puppy eyes. ^^; Hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

To .w.h.i.t.e.b.l.o.o.d. (Azumi and Kaze) : Well, reviews do encourage me greatly to write more, but I can understand that life's too busy to get to it sometimes. Thanks for letting me know you like my stories, including the ones for Weiss. And this chapter won't be a cliffhanger-ending. ^^;

To phwee? yami hobo : I could and I did, ne? Sorry. This one's better, I hope.

To Assassin of the Shadows : I'm afraid Seto's right. Sorry for my limited imagination regarding their relationship, I just can't picture Seto being uke. ^^;

To beady : Ah, someone who knows rewards work as good as threats! Can I have a cookie? And can Kaiba have his Blue Eyes back? ^_^

To Ancient Angel (Nicki and Montana) : I don't know why anyone would name his/her son Pegasus either. It *is* a pretty weird name, you're right.

Pegasus : Mokuba didn't tell me anything ; he still blames me for uhm, inviting his big brother and himself for a prolonged stay at my castle. Funny Bunny is a unique creature, not to be confused with a ordinary rabbit or bunny. Studying him enables me to see new ways to solve my problems. You are nice, obviously, because you have the good taste not to hate me at first sight. I must admit Kaiba-boy and Joey make a cute couple. I'm not really into dogs ; toons don't have too much of them and the always make a mess of one's livingroom, though Cecelia wanted us to have one. ;_; I got my name because … because … uhm. I don't know either.

To Temptress Nagisa : Well, this time no cliffie. ^^;

Bakura : Muhahaha! A lemon? You're kidding me, right? Misura writing a lemon …

Ryou : Uhm, no. She lacks the ability as well as the desire. Her profile did warn you, but I guess it's not to be expected you read that …. ^_^ Sorry.

To MyOwnShukuun (and Kiara) : I hope I granted you both your requests with this chapter. ^_^

To Firewing : Yes, sorry. Bad habits die hard and everything. ^_^;

To Kyuugi and IIsha : ^_^ Hope you'll like the effects!

Bakura : *smirks at IIsha * My sincere sympathy.

To Alithiel and Arlyssa : Very close indeed. Now for the last few inches … ^_^

To Sophia and Sophie : I really do my best every week. I hope you'll like the result. And your prediction's pretty close. ^_^

To junana107 : Ah well, we all forget things sometimes, ne? ~.^

Bakura : Oooh, *someone* is begging to be send to the Shadow Realm! Hehehehe. ^_^

Yami : *smirks* Or to be Mindcrushed. Not that there's much to Crush ….

To Nekocin : Yes, I just had the ending-position fixed in my mind and tried to get there as soon as possible. Sorry if I rushed it a bit. ^_^;

To Yugi-Redwall-Fan (Julie, Aleena and Kelsey) :  Aww, what's there to hate about Joey and Seto? 

Bakura : Where shall I start?

Uhm, well, glad to hear you're enjoying this fic, in spite of it being AU. ^_^

To Little Kaori solo Yuy-Maxwell (and yami) : Your yami has a much too horrid imagination ; they're going to end up happy (and very much alive), don't worry. ^_^

*

Chapter warning : overly romantic ^^; (Come on, they deserved it!)

**********

"Stop thinking so much." Joey commanded. "It'll give you freckles."

Seto blinked up at him.

_He looks adorable. So ... confused. Vulnerable almost._

_I have never seen him like this._

"Then what do you propose I do?" Seto inquired.

_Is that a hint of amusement I hear in your voice?_

"Well, I was more thinking along the lines of what *we* could do." Joey dared.

_Hmmm, seems he has to think about that one for a while._

_I guess it's better than having him spit in my face and call me a pervert._

_Though a litte more enthusiasm might have been nice._

_This silence of his is grinding at my nerves._

*****

_'What *we* could do' ..._

_What we *could* do ..._

Images danced around in Seto's mind, some of them out of his dreams and fantasies, others spontaneously brought up by Joey's reply.

He felt the blood rush to his cheeks, as well as to a certain other part of his body, considerably lower than his face.

"I am open for any suggestion." 

_Please don't let this be another dream._

_Please don't let him mean something else than what I think he's meaning._

Joey grinned. "Are you sure no one's going to walk in on us this time?"

"Positive." Seto answered immediately.

_Mokuba's in bed._

_Besides, he hasn't had any nightmares since we moved out of our old home._

"Well then ... I guess we could ... " Joey's voice trailed off. The blond seemed to get shy all of a sudden. Seto thought it was a very cute gesture.

_Like a puppy. With those melting eyes ... begging for someone to take care of him._

_Not that *I* am feeling too sure of myself right now._

"Yeah ... I suppose so ... if you want to, that is."

Joey bit his lip, turning his head back to capture Seto's gaze with his own.

Apparently liking what he saw in there, he nodded. "I do."

"Good."

For a few moments, neither of them spoke or moved.

Then, simultaneously, they brought their lips closer together in a soft, hesitant kiss.

_Perfect._

_There's just one thing ..._

Hooking his leg around Joey's, Seto flipped them over so that he was on top, with Joey beneath him. Joey eyed him questioningly.

"Do you mind?" Seto asked softly.

Joey shook his head. "No. Not really."

"I love you." Seto whispered, smothering Joey's 'I love you too' with another kiss.

*****

Mokuba grinned in satisfaction at the end of the conversation. He had slipped out of bed as soon as he had heard Seto's door fall shut to listen in on what his big brother and Joey would say to eachother and, if necessary, to burst in on them to prevent bloodshed.

His intervention hadn't been needed.

_I'm really proud of Seto ; he finally found the courage to speak his heart._

_And Joey responded exactly as I'd hoped he would._

Silently walking back to his own room, he reflected on what this meant.

_I guess I'd better start packing for Domino now._

_Let's hope Joey's not the only nice person around there._

*****

[the next morning]

"Do you really have to leave?" Joey pouted.

Seto smiled. "Don't worry, you'll see me again soon enough."

"We're going to our new home in Domino!" Mokuba beamed.

"Domino? But that's ... " Joey stammered.

"Where you live!" Mokuba finished. "Yes, we know. That's why we go there. Seto wanted to meet you before deciding where to go, so he arranged for you to meet him at that convention. Since the two of you got along so well ... "

"You set me up?" Joey inquired, looking slightly annoyed. 

Seto flushed, glaring at Mokuba. "Yes. But it was all for a good cause."

Joey sighed. "Can't argue with that. Well, I'll count the hours to our next meeting."

"So will I."

"Have a safe journey."

"You too."

~OWARI (in a way)~

This story's epilogue(s?) will deal with Seto and Joey meeting again in Domino at school and with the solution to the mystery of Pegasus' voice in Seto's head.


	17. Epilogue, first chapter

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, as well as other characters, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 7th august 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the sixteenth chapter :

To yuki44 : *grins* I will, thanks for the encouragement!

To Ranma Higurashi : Saa, don't judge too hastily! It did say some smart things too.

To Cazzy123 (and yami) : Thank you very much! ^_^

To JuniperMoon : Thank you!

To Hawk-sister (and Winddancer and Shadowwalker) : Sorry I got your name wrong! -_-; Hope this chapter makes up for it a little.

Mokuba & Joey : Yay! Brownies! *proceed to stuff their faces with them*

Seto : *soon to be faced with two sugar-high people* Uhm ... help?

To Lone Wolf55 : Thanks, I did my best.

To Rowan and Sakura : Well, it *is* an AU, you know, even if it didn't show too much I think. So some of Joey's friends aren't his friends yet ...

Seto : ... fangirls have costumes to dress up as my little brother?!? o.O; Now I'm really scared.

Joey : Awww, want a hug to make it all better? ^_^

Seto : How do I know you're you? How do you know I'm me? Argh! I can't take this!

Mokuba : Well, you could always take off his clothes to check ... teehee! ^_^;

Seto : *nosebleeds to death (just kidding ^^;)*

To Gangsta Videl : Well, Seto doesn't seem to be too stable either. Maybe he should try writing fanfiction too. ^^; Hmmm, YuGiOh in spanish ... educational anime. :)

To L@DyFiCtIoN : *beams* Thank you! Mokuba's too kawaii to be really bad I think. ^^;

To Lethe Seraph : Yes, it took them quite some time, ne? Glad to hear you liked it!

To HieiLover101 : Thank you very much! :)

To FearlessAngel4592 : You said the magical word! :) Here's more.

To Nekocin : Uhm yes. I aimed for one chapter a week while writing, so they're not all of equal length. Not sure if I'll bother fixing them (I'm kind of lazy I guess  -_-;). Most of my fics ended with their first kiss really. Relationships seem much more harder to write somehow ...

To Escuro de la Lus : Hehehe, maybe I should've put up a warning for that. Though I don't think anyone really minded ... :)

To Ieyre : *beams* ^_^ Thank you!

Mokuba : *beams* ^_^ Thank you!

To Tsuki Ryuu (Michiko and Yami Michiko) : Wow, thanks!

Seto : *smirks* Yes, it's quite logical, isn't it?

To Tasan15 : Thank you, hope you'll like the 'more' too! :)

To Suppis Tenshi : I must admit I'm a little surprised how fond I still am of this pairing. But you're right ; they're just so cute! Glad to hear my fic manages to convey that. ^_^

To Leaf Zelindor : Uhm, well next chapter you will find out about the voice yes, but ...

Pegasus : I'm innocent! ;_;

To Ruby Love : Sorry to hear you disagreed with the 'speed' of their love. Personally I considered the fifteen chapters a rather long build-up but ...

To Kiawna : Well, can't say 'no' to puppy eyes, can I? ;)

To Kyuugi (and IIsha) : Glad to hear you liked that part. ^_^

Bakura : You're welcome. Your hikari seems even weirder than mine.

Ryou : Hey! I'm not weird! You just don't understand me. You're the one who's weird, with that obsession with blood and other freaky stuff.

To Kaira-chan : Yup, and also so *I* can have more fun with all three of them. ^^;

Seto : O, joy. -_- Well, at least I'll have Joey to comfort me.

To phwee? yami hobo : *giggles* Well, if writing fics doesn't involve any thinking on your part ... thank you for the comments! :)

To OoshatiElf : Thank you! *eats cookie and gets a sugarrush that doesn't allow her to write angst this chapter* ^_^

To Ancient Angel (Nikki and Montana) : Glad to hear you liked the chapter! :)

Pegasus : Hmm, so you mean to say insanity can be fun and attractive? Well, maybe you have a point there. This authoress doesn't have EDS, so she writes my persona with a deplorable lack of fun and happiness. ;_; But at least I'll show up in the next chapter! ^_^ Teehee!

To Big Rikku fan : Yup, I thought it was about time. Thank you!

To Katsuki : Thank you very much! :)

To QueenV : Glad to hear you liked it! ^_^

Joey : Hey! Keep your hands off *my* boyfriend! *gets tacklglomped* Ack!

Pegasus : Yeeeesssss! Someone glomped me! ^_^ *does a little victory dance* Take *that*, Kaiba-boy!

To beady : *accepts the cookie and starts nibbling on it* Thank you!

Seto : *snatches Blue Eyes away* ... *glares as Misura pokes him* Thank ... you.

To Shiranai-Kyuri : Always happy to make a convert! Uhm ... ^_^; Glad you like it, I mean.

To Aria Marier : Thank you.

To devilburns : How could I not do it? ^^; Yes, I love this pairing too. Does it show? ^^;

To Jubei Yamato : It's here, simply called uhm Chapter 17? :)

To Mel Gods : *coughs* Yes, took them long enough, ne? I'm afraid the Pegasus-mystery will go unsolved for another chapter ; I was more in the mood to write fluff. ^^;

To Angel of pure darkness (and Tala and Kai) : Ooh, can I get an autograph from Kai? Uhm, I mean, glad to hear you liked the story so much. Very glad. ^_^

To Hidden : Thank you very much!

To The Chaotic Ones (AAries, Angel and Chaos) : Thank you *gulps* one week?

To ColeyCarissa : Aren't they? :)

To Alithiel and Arlyssa : Thank you very much ; hope it was worth the wait. ^_^

To hieiandkuramalover : Glad to hear so. ^_^

To Temptress Nagisa : *glomps plushies* Thank you! Well, I'm probably going to stick with this pairing for quite a while. Though Yami and Yugi are cute too. *looks at plushies pensively*

To Yugi-Redwall-Fan (Julie, Aleena and Kelsey) : o.O; Uhm, I hope everything's all right with you. I didn't mean to uhm make you sick or something. (I did put up a warning, ne?) I like Mokuba too!

To Duh-huh, Ducks? ^_^;P : Cursing this story will not have any effect on its updates.

To junana107 : Sugar is good! It always helps me write fluff. ^^;

To Mika Moto-Asakura : *scribbles on her Animes-I-have-to-see-someday-list* Thanks for the tip. And for the kind review of course! Wow! ^_^ Hope this epilogue isn't going to disappoint.

To MyOwnShukuun (Jack and Orion) : Thank you. If it hadn't been for the voice, I might very well have left the story as it was, but … ^^;

This chapter deals with Seto and Joey meeting again at the first day of school. Meaning there's a pretty big gap between this chapter and the previous one.

Warning : Mokuba excercising his powers of Cuteness *coughs* ^^;

**********

"There are two new students." Shizuka informed Joey with a wide smile. "All of the girls talk about them, since they've both moved to Domino only recently."

"Oh?" Joey replied absent-mindedly.

_Today I'm going to see Seto again._

_He called me last night. We must have talked for hours ... until I fell asleep on him._

"JOEY! Are you even *listening* to me?!" Shizuka glared at him.

"Yeah, of course, sis. Two new students." Joey nodded.

_Why does she have to so chatty in the morning?_

_It's not that I mind her babbling ; it's more that she actually expects me to pay attention._

"They're both *male* too! Finally some new guys." Shizuka sighed dreamily.

_Humph. As if there aren't any nice guys around now._

_As if Mom is ever going to let her date._

"Some of the girls have already seen them, you know. They both moved to Domino recently. Anzu even helped one of them unpack his stuff! She's so lucky!"

_If he's fool enough to fall for Anzu, he's definitely not worth your time, sis._

_You're smarter, prettier and overall better than she is._

_She's a nice enough friend but ... _

"They told me they both look really hot too."

_Looks aren't everything._

"Anzu said the boy she met was very polite too, almost shy. He has come to live with his grandfather, you know, the old man who owns the Turtle Gameshop. His parents both went missing on an expedition in Egypt for over three years ago now." 

_He told all of that to a total stranger? _

"Don't you feel sorry for him, Joey? I really do. I mean, I wouldn't know what to do if our parents would disappear like that." Shizuka glanced at him. She seemed near tears at the mere idea.

Joey sighed.

_Girls are so strange._

"Our parents never went to Egypt or something like that. They're *normal* people. Sure, it's tough luck for this kid they vanished, but hey, they chose to go. Everyone knows it's dangerous to rummage around in pyramids and such."

_Plenty of movies for proof. Why can't they let those mummies rot in peace?_

_What do I care if some guy who lived 4000 years ago was murdered by poison instead of an illness? Like I want to know!_

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Shizuka cheered up again, impulsively hugging him. "Thanks for reassuring me, big brother! You're the best!"

He coughed uncomfortably. "Uhm, you're welcome."

"Aww, too big to be hugged by your sister anymore?" Shizuka grinned, releasing him as she noticed his embarrassed blush. "You're so cute, Joey. I can't believe you still don't have a girlfriend, preferring a cold fish instead." She made a face.

"Seto's nice." Joey grumbled.

As soon as he got home she'd stormed him with questions about how the CEO had treated him, if he'd gotten enough to eat and so on. Joey had told her about everything - 

_Well, *nearly* everything._

- but she simply didn't seem to be able to accept Seto Kaiba as a normal human being. She had even gone as far as to suggest he'd been drugged or something.

_Maybe if she meets him in person ..._

"Joey, stop dreaming, will you? You'll end up under a car if you keep doing that!" Shizuka smiled. "You shouldn't have stayed up so long reading comics last night."

"No, sis." Joey replied meekly, knowing argueing the point wouldn't make any difference.

_Today I'm going to see Seto again._

For the first time in his life, Joey Wheeler was looking forward to school.

*****

[that afternoon after classes]

"SETO KAIBA IS A TOTAL JERK!" Shizuka yelled at her brother as soon as she saw him.

"Uhm ... "

"HE IS!" Noticing some other students gaping at them, Shizuka lowered her voice a little. "I can't understand how you can like him so much, Joey!"

"Ah ... "

"He was constantly picking on that other new student! Don't tell me you didn't see it too!"

"Aren't you exaggerating a little bit here? He just - "

"He could *at least* have taken on someone of his own size!" Shizuka raged on. "Instead of some poor helpless kid half as tall as himself!"

"Shizuka ... "

"Don't defend him, Joey! He - oh, hello, who are you?" Shizuka's tone of voice changed in an instant from angry to sweet. "Are you new around here?"

Mokuba stared up at her with his usual smile. "Yes, I am. And I'm lost. Could you help me, please?" He gave no sign of recognizing Joey, which the blond decided to let go for now.

_He's probably up to something._

_It wouldn't surprise me if Seto told him about Shizuka._

"Of course!" Shizuka beamed. "Where do you live?"

Mokuba named an adress and the three of them started walking there. Shizuka asked Mokuba when he'd come to live here and -somewhat belatedly in Joey's opinion- what his name was.

Walking home after they'd seen Mokuba safely home, Shizuka grudgingly admitted : "Perhaps you were right and I was over-reacting a little. No one with such a cute little brother can be a total jerk I think."

"Thanks. Does that mean you'll support me when I tell Mom and Dad?" Joey asked hopefully. His parents still didn't know about the reason for his little delay during his trip home.

"Maybe." Shizuka grinned. "*If* you help me get that new student's phone-number."

"Deal."

~tbc~

All right, to those of you who totally loathe Pegasus, I'd advise to skip the next chapter. If you're not completely opposed to the idea of Pegasus being human, there'll be another chapter for you next week. Do remember this *is* an AU.


	18. Epilogue, second chapter

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, Pegasus, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

[!] Spoiler : Cecelia

written at 10th august 2003, by Misura

A/N : Thanks to everyone who reviewed the seventeenth chapter :

To Lethe Seraph : Hmm, yes, hadn't looked on it that way. ^^; Thank you!

To Kaira-chan : Glad to hear so! Yup, it's indeed Yugi. Not sure if I'll throw in Yami too yet ... ^^; (maybe he deserves that as compensation for Seto picking on him, ne?)

To L@DyFiCtIoN : Well, she was a little talkative perhaps, due to excitement. Though their bond is not as deep as Seto and Mokuba's (yes, that little guy *is* the cutests indeed ^^;), I think they normally get along pretty well.

To Hidden : *nods* He is, isn't he? Thank you!

To Angel of pure darkness (Angel and Kai) : *runs around the room going 'whee!'* ^^; Sorry for not having them meet. They do in this chapter though, promise. :)

To Gangsta Videl : Yeah, it's hard to describe Pegasus in one word. ^^; He reminds me of Farfarello sometimes, only he's a little cuter and uses words to cut through people rather than knifes. ^^;

To Leaf Zelindor : Well ... read and find out if you're right! :)

To hieiandkuramalover : Hmmm, well, if he's not human, what is he then, aside from a fictional anime character? ^^; Ah well, hope this chapter doesn't offend your sense of reason too much.

To phwee? yami hobo : There will be a little Seto/Jou fluff in this chapter, as well as some er Seto-angst. ^^; I don't know what 'whoot' means either, except that it's an owl's cry. :)

To Lightning Sage : Nothing good, of course. -_-; No, really, I think I've made him rather ooc. :(

To Rowan and Sakura : *grins*

Anzu : AU means in this case that Pegasus is not going to steal anyone's soul. Instead, he'll try to become friends. ^_^

Bakura : And stab them in the back when they trust him? Oooh, I like that plan! ^_^

Mokuba : -_- I just meant they could take off their shirts. Not ... *blushes*.

To QueenV : ^_^ Hope you'll like my version of Pegasus a little. Hope your essays are done now! :)

To The Chaotic Ones (AAries, Chaos and Angel) : 'Thank you!', 'why?' and 'o.O; uhm, okay'. ^^;

To Ancient Angel (Nikki and Montana) : Well, I hope you'll like this chapter. :)

To Ruby Love : Well, it's been a little unobvious until now. ^^; But the warning was there so I thought I might as well use it. Hope you'll like my version of Pegasus a little.

Bakura : I take your bet! Name your stakes! ^_^

To Mika Moto-Asakura : Wow, thank you very much! *beams and blushes* I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the piece of music you referred to ; I'll ask around to see if any of my friends has it so I can hear it.

To Mel Gods : Well, they'll get some in this chapter, with some Seto angst as well. -_-; I do have my share of 'fics I rarely update/have given up on' actually, only most of them aren't YuGiOh. 'Not what you want' was delayed (as foretold in the tenth chapter) due to a busy weekend on my side. Shizuka isn't really obsessed with Yami ; I don't want to break her heart. ^^; She's just curious.

To Kiawna : *smiles* Glad I'm able to make the start of your week a little more bearable! :)

To Suppis Tenshi : Hmmm, not sure if I'll write the 'telling the parents' - scene. I'll probably skip it, maybe have them talk about it later. Some weird plot-bunny came along, so now I have some more chapters to write to this fic. ^^; Hope you won't mind my version of Pegasus too much.

To Alithiel and Arlyssa : Well, he *did* kidnap Mokuba (body and soul) and Seto. And kept them in a *dungeon*! That's pretty mean I think. ^^; Ah well, hope my version of Pegasus isn't too bad. 

To Ranma Higurashi : Hmmm, be careful who you're insulting! ^^; Did my best.

To OoshatiElf : *beams* Thank you very much.

To Escuro de la Lus : Not just girls' minds I think ... hehehe. Yup, he's very manipulative. ^_^;

To MovieGeek : Serenity is a name I associate with Sailor Moon, so I prefer to call her by her japanese name 'Shizuka'. This is an AU-fic, meaning no story-line is followed but the plot. I do not have any fondness for Pegasus (might I point out Ryou is called 'Bakura'? And isn't he a friend to the rest of them too?) so I use that name because it's the most used. Sorry if mixing names annoys you. Reviewreplies are added only to YuGiOh fics spanning more than five chapters or so. 

To Yugi-Redwall-fan (Kelsey, Aleena and Julie) : ^_^ Glad you liked it!

To MyOwnShukuun (Kiara, Jack and Orion) : No, Pegasus is *not* Joey's father. ^^; It's AU, but not *that* much. He's not a rapist either, at least this version of him isn't. Uhm, was I really so negative about Anzu? I thought I'd kept it moderately realistic. ^^;

To Big Rikku fan : Ah, the joys of the dub ... nope, this is pure text. Imagines his voice to sound nice. :)

To Jubei Yamato : Here it is! Hope you like it …

To devilburns : Hmmm, that question may take a while to get answered I'm afraid. ^^;

*

This chapter deals with Seto and Joey meeting Pegasus. It takes place some time after the previous chapter (call me lazy for not writing those days in between if you like ^^;)

Warning : Pegasus being human, slight fluff (Seto/Joey, of course!), heavy AU-ness

**********

_He's coming._

_*He* is coming._

_What am I going to do?_

Seto tried desperately to stay concentrated on the numbers and data flowing over his screen, but he couldn't stop thinking about the man his stupid secretary had planned in for him to meet in another half hour.

The fool had been fired of course, but the damage had already been done then ; if he canceled the appointment now, everyone would *know*.

_I could think of some excuse, only it wouldn't work._

_They'd see it for what it was ; I'm sure of it._

_Besides, if they wouldn't say anything about it, *he* would._

_Publicly._

Seto shivered, thinking about the effects *that* would have on his career and the future of his corporation. He was lost either way.

_I *hate* him. _

_But I'm also afraid of him._

_I don't want to see him. Ever._

_I wished Mokuba was here ... no, selfish wish. Mokuba mustn't meet him._

_He sees too much._

Seto sighed.

_I have Joey now. Surely that has to count for something._

He checked the clock again.

_Twenty-five minutes to get myself together again._

*****

"Really, Joey, I'm worried about him. He kept telling me nothing was wrong, but I *know* something's bothering him."

Joey frowned. "One moment, Mokuba." Putting down the phone for a moment, he yelled to the livingroom : "Mom, is it okay if I go over to Seto's for a while?"

"Is your homework finished?"

_What the heck does *that* matter?!? Seto-koi's in trouble! He *needs* me!_

"Yes." he lied. "Almost."

"Joey ... "

"Pleeeaaase! I can do it later ; it's not that much."

"Oh, very well then. Don't stay too long though."

"Yes, Mom. Thanks!"

Grinning with relief, he picked up the horn again. "All right, Mom had said it's okay."

Mokuba sighed, sounding a little sad. 

_Is he missing his own mother?_

_Does he even remember her?_

"Please hurry."

"I will. Bye."

"Good luck." 

*click*

Grabbing his jacket, Joey sprinted to the door, ignoring the indignant yelp of his sister whom he nearly ran into.

_I'm on my way, Seto. Hang on._

*****

_Ten minutes ..._

Seto shivered, hating his loss of control.

_How can I let him do this to me?_

Burying his head in his arms, he tried to keep the memories from flooding back to him.

When a hand touched his shoulder, he swatted it away, not even bothering to look up.

A soft chuckle sounded, before a warm body was pressed to his back, while arms snuck around his waist. "Is that any way to greet your koi?"

"Joey ... " Seto breathed the name with relief. 

Another chuckle. "You have more people who do this kind of things to you?"

"Of course not. But how ... why ... ?"

"Mokuba called me." Joey smiled. "Though I might have dropped by anyway."

"I love that kid."

"Oh?" Joey raised one eyebrow in mock-indignation. "More than me?"

"Don't ask questions as impossible to answer as *that*." Seto growled.

_I couldn't live without either of you anymore._

"A little grumpy, are we?" Joey 'tsk'ed.

"Just impatient. Am I going to get a kiss or are you here only to annoy me?" Seto inquired.

Joey flashed him a mischievous grin. "Can I think about that for a while?"

"No." Seto told him firmly, smothering Joey's next words with the kiss he thought he definitely deserved to get.

*****

_He tastes different._

The thought sounded odd, yet it was the first that popped into Joey's mind when he could think again. Opening his eyes for a moment, he noticed Seto had his eyes closed.

_Firmly shut. Like there's something he wants to keep out. _

_Or something he doesn't want me to see in them?_

_The kiss ..._

_It's like he's drowning and I'm his last hope for rescue._

_What's wrong with you, Seto?_

_What's bothering you so much you won't even tell Mokuba?_

Someone coughed.

_Huh. Amazing I still hear something like that._

Seto twisted his body around so he could see the intruder and Joey felt him stiffen in his arms.

"Pegasus."

_Gods. And I thought he sounded cold when he called *my* name before._

~to be concluded in the next part~

A/N : *grumbles* I meant for this to be one chapter, but it turned out a little longer. I can't guarantee the length of the last chapter ; I'll try not to make it too short.


	19. Epilogue, last chapter

Blue eyes, brown eyes

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, Pegasus, AU 

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

[!] Spoiler : Cecelia

written at 15th august 2003, by Misura

A/N : A very big 'thank you' to all the people who reviewed the previous chapter. I can only hope this chapter won't disappoint you too much ; I'm not quite content with the way Pegasus turned out really, but I can't seem to make it any better. ;_;

Warning : Pegasus being human, slight fluff (Seto/Joey, of course!), heavy AU-ness

**********

"I'm honored to find you still remember me, Kaiba-boy. Honored, as well as pleased."

Joey didn't like the way the man's voice crooned, like he was suppressing his laughter at some joke only he understood.

Joey didn't like the way the man's eyes were focused solely on Seto, as if Joey wasn't there.

And the way Seto stared at his visitor, Joey liked least of all.

__

I'm here, koi.

No matter what, I'm here for you.

Don't let this white-haired creep get to you.

"How could I ever forget?" Seto ground out.

Shrugging, Pegasus sat down in one of the chairs in front of Seto's desk.

__

Haven't heard of it being polite to wait till you're invited to sit down?

Arrogant jerk.

"In time, a lot of things can fade away, erased by the winds of change." Pegasus remarked.

"You haven't changed one bit." Seto snarled. For once, his lover's anger didn't disturb Joey.

__

If I must choose between him being angry and him being a nervous wreck, I'll choose an angry Seto any day.

"You flatter me." Pegasus smiled.

"Hardly." Seto riposted.

"Oh? Do I sense a hint of hostility, Seto-love? I know we didn't part the best of friends, yet I had hoped that in the past years you'd have gotten over that, perhaps seeing events in a slightly different, more postive light."

__

What the heck is he talking about? And what gives him the right to call *my* koi that?

"You have been haunting me ever since I left." Seto accused him. "Talking to me in my sleep, and even when I was awake. Taunting me with your poisonous words ... " He choked.

__

Hope it's from rage and not from ... something else.

Pegasus frowned, looking uncertain for the first time since he had entered the office. "I fear I have no idea what you are referring to. I swear to you I haven't done anything to harm you. Not ... after you left. Before ... my behavior may have been inappropriate at times."

"Liar. I recognized your voice, your annoying pet-names, your style of talking. You used that weird eye you have to get in my head. At least have the guts to admit it." Seto hissed.

"In this my conscience is clear." Pegasus bended his head, stroking the white hair out of his face to reveal one normal golden eye and one empty eye-socket. "I lost the Sennen Eye four months ago, when I destroyed it in order to achieve my dream."

"Your *dream*?" Joey spoke up for the first time. "And what might that be?"

"Cecelia." Seto replied, before Pegasus could. "His one true love."

"You say that so coldly, Kaiba-boy." Pegasus noted. "It's true though ; I used the power of the ancient Sennen magic, combined with modern technology to revive my beloved wife Cecelia, who has been in a coma for the past ten years."

"Why are you here? I grow tired of this." Seto groaned.

"She is recovering remarkably well, now that you ask." Pegasus retorted calmly. "You were always such a polite boy, Seto-koi. Manners are important in this world."

"You're wasting my time."

Pegasus sighed. "Maybe I came to say sorry." He rose, tossing a little flat packet on the desk in front of Seto. "Or maybe I came just to see you. Or to see your newfound love. I guess - " he had reached the door now, opening it to leave " - it doesn't really matter in the end. Live well, Seto Kaiba. And perhaps, one day, we will meet again." The door closed behind him with a soft click.

*****

The package contained three cards, handpainted by the Creator himself and with no artwork ever shown on any card before.

First, a Blue Eyes White Dragon, the dragon with the eyes of ice. 'For Seto Kaiba'.

Second, a Red Eyes Black Dragon, the dragon of fire and chaos. 'For Joey Wheeler'.

Last was a Happy Lovers, with two familiar figures on it, locked in a close embrace. This card bore no inscription.

"This card gives me a great idea." Joey remarked.

"Oh?"

"Why don't I stay over for the night?"

"Hmmm, good idea." Seto smiled, secure in the knowledge Pegasus' voice would never come back to haunt him again, and that the two people he cared most for in this world, loved him in return. "I think I have some ideas to spend the time."

~OWARI~

Note : Yup, it's The End for real this time. Well, more or less. You see there's this evil plotbunny that gave me an idea for a sequel .... Should you still be interested in it after reading this, I must warn you it may take me quite a while to get around to writing it. Sorry to say my muse for 'Like cat and dog' ran away, so I'll probably post another fic than that one coming Monday. 


	20. Teaser for 'Blue eyes, golden eyes' a pr...

Blue eyes, golden eyes

Warnings/notes : Seto + Joey, twisted Pegasus + Seto, slightly dark, AU, weirdness, Mokuba

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 6th november 2003, by Misura

[!!!!!!] This is the teaser/prologue for a *prequel* to 'Blue eyes, brown eyes' ; it takes place *before* events in BEBE. I posted this here, because I thought people who read BEBE might be interested in reading this fic as well, even if there aren't that many Seto/Joey moments in it. ^^;

**********

"I wish you wouldn't go." Mokuba stated. Again. It was only the fourth time this morning.

_You'd think someone like Pegasus, a game-designer with a child-like fondness for cartoons would be adored by kids._

_He's always been nice to Mokuba too. Perhaps a bit paternizing at times, not really treating him his age, but ... nice. _

_Cute gifts that end up stuffed away in a corner of a closet ..._

_Pegasus is the only person who can offer Mokuba candy or cookies without getting pounced._

_I don't understand._

"It's only for a week, Mokuba." Seto smiled, ruffling his brother's dark hair. "I'll miss you lots, but it's just not possible you come along with me. School - "

" -is boooooring." Mokuba sighed, already knowing he wasn't going to win this argument. "But I'll go anyway. You'll be proud of me when you get back, big brother."

"I already am." Seto assured him.

"Really?" Mokuba beamed happily.

"Yes, really." Seto sighed. "Now, I have some more packing to do, if you don't mind ... ?"

"Oh very well." Mokuba pouted. "But the day after you return, we'll go eating ice-cream in the park. You *promised*."

Seto nodded solemnly. "So I did."

_Whatever makes you happy, little brother, whatever makes you happy._

"And I'll help you get into contact with Joey without immediately getting into an argument." Mokuba continued, too lost in his visions of the future to notice Seto's expression at *that* particular announcement. "The two of you would be a such a cute couple."

_I wish I'd never told him I sometimes don't quite hate that blond mutt._

_He's getting all kinds of weird ideas about us now._

_Like I'd ever *want* to get together with Joey Wheeler._

_Like *he*'d ever want to have something to do with me._

_Ah well, no use in popping his bubble. Mokuba'll find out soon enough._

_Or maybe he'll have forgotten all about it by the time I get back._

"We could move to Domino, get to know new people. Joey's only living with his father because he doesn't have any other place to live, but when the two of you get together - " Mokuba rambled on.

Seto shook his head. "Don't count on it too much, Mokuba. We're not even friends, let alone - " 

_... lovers._

He couldn't quite get the word past his lips. "And anyway, I don't have time for this."

"Sorry." Mokuba grinned, surprising him by jumping forwards for a firm hug. "Take care, Seto. Return to me safely, please, I wouldn't know what to do without you."

Seto stared down at his brother, blinking, before returning the hug. "You worry too much, Mokuba. I'm going to be just fine ; you'll see. It's just a prolonged business-meeting after all."

"On *his* island, in that creepy castle of his." Mokuba shivered.

Seto watched seconds tick by on the clock.

_Never mind. I don't have *that* much to pack anymore._

*****

Flattering magazines had called Pegasus 'a genius', 'a living legend in the gameworld', 'the brilliant creator of Duel Monsters', as well as 'one of the best players at any game worth playing'.

Magazines pretending to be objective had described him cautiously as 'slightly eccentric', 'withdrawn from the world' and 'gifted with an extraordinary imagination'.

Gossip magazines pointed at his comatose wife and spoke of him as 'a nutcase', 'a lunatic living in his own fantasyworld' or 'an obsessed and possessed man'.

Seto knew they were all right. And, at the same time, all wrong. Pegasus had always had an air of mystery about him, a sense of not quite belonging in the world of cold economics and microchips. After the accident that almost cost him his wife's life, Pegasus had grown stranger, more inbalanced.

There were times when he simply rose and left in the middle of a meeting. Yet he was also shrewd enough to keep Industrial Illusions one of the leading corporations in the gaming world, in spite of the ruthless competition and the pressure from certain other people in his company to step down as its CEO.

Looking down on the castle that seemed to come straight out of a faerietale, Seto wondered why Mokuba had called it 'creepy'. 'Extravagant' or 'fancy' were words that came to mind, yes, though he was diplomatic enough not to use them in front of Pegasus, but 'creepy'?

_Mokuba's probably read too many ghost-stories about haunted castles and such._

_He should know better than to read that kind of stuff, really. _

_He may act like he's grown-up already, but in his heart, he's still an innocent, vulnerable boy._

Seto grimaced.

_Not to mention a little pest who constantly sticks his nose where it doesn't belong and who considers it his holy task to get me a boyfriend._

_Still wouldn't want to miss him for the world though._

*****

"Your tea is getting cold, Kaiba-boy." Pegasus remarked, sipping his own. "Unless your stomach's too upset from the flight to drink anything, I suggest you consume it now."

"I'm fine." Seto grumbled.

_I wonder why he calls me that. After all, Mokuba is a Kaiba as well._

The tea tasted bitter and for a moment he regretted not having put sugar in it.

_No. I've seen what sugar does to Mokuba. Considering we share the same genes ..._

Pegasus snorted, as if amused. Seto wondered why, but wasn't curious enough to ask. Quite likely it was something only Pegasus could understand or conceive as being funny.

"Tell me, Seto-dear. - "

_I hate it when he calls me that._

_What would he have called his wife, if he refers to a simple business associate as 'dear'?_

"Have you ever seen the episode in which Funny Bunny escapes from getting poisoned?"

_Toons. Are they all that fill his head nowadays?_

Pegasus chuckled, probably remembering another 'hilarious' Funny Bunny trick.

"No." Seto answered curtly.

"A pity." Pegasus replied. "It might have taught you something useful."

Seto narrowed his eyes.

_What's *that* supposed to mean?!? I'm fine without any of that toon-nonsense._

"I highly doubt that."

Pegasus smiled, a sight that Seto found unsettling somehow.

_Perhaps I *am* a little affected by the flight after all. My head hurts and -_

_-the room is kind of vague, misty-_

"Are you all right?" A voice -_whose?-_ drifted out of the mists.

_-Pegasus. Has he-_

_-my stomach hurts too-_

_-Mokuba!-_

-The rest of the fic will be posted and written under the title 'Blue eyes, golden eyes', should you be interested-

Thanks to the people who reviewed BEBE's last chapter :

To devilburns : Thank you very much! ^_^

To hieiandkuramalover : Yup, Pegasus deserves a bit of pity. Thank you! :)

To Dillon : ^^; Thanks!

To Missy and Mikara : Uhm, I'm also working on other fics? Don't want to plug, mind you. ^^; Thanks!

To Cazzy123 : Ah, the joys of having to educate one's yami in modern technology ... ~.^ Thank you!

To L@DyFiCtIoN : Glad you liked it! No sequel yet, alas. ^^;

To Kaira-chan : I liked writing 'Like cat and dog' too. Only it required some sort of mood that just doesn't seem to come. Maybe my faerietale muses hooked up with your humor-muses ... ^^;

To Hawk-Sister : Hehehe. ^_^;

To Lightning Sage : Sorry I wasn't laborous enough to introduce him more fluently. I kind of felt I had to explain the whole thing about his voice being in Kaiba's head, but ... Thank you very much! :)

To Kiawna : Peggy-chan creeps you out? Awww, he can be such fun! ^^; Thank you!

To QueenV : No sequel yet ... but the plot-bunny's still running around here. Thank you for the encouragement! ^_^

To me : Would this make a proper announcement too? :)

To Dark Queen of Roses : ^^; Thank you!

To Jubei Yamato : There's more, though it's not all sweet. ^_^;

To yuki44 : I will, I will. Thank you! :)

To phwee? yami hobo : Thank you! :)

To Ancient Angel (Nikki and Montana) : Wow, thanks for the high praise! ^_^; Hope you're not going to kill me for making Pegasus a bit of a villain in the prequel. ^^;

To Mel Gods : It were Joey and Seto on that card. That's why it gave them an idea on how to pass the time. ^^; (Not that they needed help in that direction!). Thanks for the encouragement! ^_^

To Dragon Sorcerous : Alas, no sequel yet, sorry. Thank you! :)

To MarcFan (what Marc? I know several [and I'm way too nosy -_-;]) : Thank you very much! :)

To BarbedWire23 : Yep, Kaiba's such a control-freak. Never leaving anything to fate ... Thank you! :)

To OoshatiElf : *giggles* Awww, come on! He's not *that* bad, is he? ^^;

To Big Rikku fan : Thank you very much. No sequel yet, but ... ^^;

To LiNkIn PaRk RoX : Well, Joey did get some angsty moments I think. But really, he's way too cute to torture in any serious way. ^^;

To Ranma Higurashi : *coughs* Erm, sorry? ^^;

To MyOwnShukuun (Jack, Kiara and Orion) : Glad to hear those epilogues cleared some things up. Thank you! :)

To Tasan15 : *blushes* Thank you! 

To Katsuki : Thank you! Hope I'll get some nice dreams ... ^^;

To Rowan and Sakura : o.O; Plotbunny-hunting? Like I'd *want* to get more of that critters around in my head. ^^; I do feel sorry about 'Like cat and dog' though. Thanks for the encouragement! ^_^

To samurai-ashes : Well, uhm, hope you didn't sleep late or something. *feels a little guilty* And look, I'm going to delve deeper into the Pegasus-thing! ^^; Thanks for the nice comments! ^_^

To Suppis Tenshi : Well, a slightly less favorable interpretation from Pegasus in this prequel I'm afraid.

Pegasus : ;_; I plead insanity and oocness. Not to mention it's an AU.

Funny Bunny (Muse of Insanity) : *nibbling on carrot* Sankyuu! ^_^ 

Thanks for feeding my plot-bunnies. I hope you'll like the result ...

To Alithiel and Arlyssa : Well, kind of. Read the prequel and find out! ^_^;

To Yugi-Redwall-fan (Aleena, Kelsey and Julie) : Wow, glad to hear all three of you liked it! Thank you very much! ^_^

To blue icee fyre : Yes, a subconscience can be a great help sometimes, ne? ^_^ Glad you liked that element!

To Zeto : Yes, well, I just love to write Mokuba that way. And it's not like those two're ever going to figure it out on their own … ^_^; Thank you!

To Chronicles Bailey : Thank you! Glad to hear you liked it!

To Asuka-chan2 : Thank you very much! ^_^


End file.
